


Keep Your Enemies Closer

by MegaMink



Category: Dragon Ball
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Comfort, Fluff, Love Triangles, M/M, NSFW In Future Chapters, Physical Abuse, Slow Romance, mentions of sexual abuse, smut in chapter 23 lol, violence happens
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-09-11
Updated: 2017-11-21
Packaged: 2018-08-14 13:07:55
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 25
Words: 20,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8015239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MegaMink/pseuds/MegaMink
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Raditz learns that sometimes his enemies need to be comforted as well. </p><p> After finding Zarbon wounded and in a terrible state of mind, Raditz abandons all Saiyan instinct and helps the poor man. By doing this he finds out a little too much about how Frieza treats his lovely advisor, and how he'll now have to compete with Dodoria for Zarbon's love. </p><p> Maybe Raditz shouldn't have listened to the old saying "Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,". Maybe then he wouldn't have ended up falling for his enemy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Finding the wounded...

**Author's Note:**

> heckin shit this is gonna be ooc but,,, Enjoy?

"Raditz ya can't be serious, theres **_no_** way you could possibly beat Dodoria, he'd kick yer ass!" Nappa laughed, earning a glare from the long haired Saiyan as he took a swig of his beer.

 "How can you be so sure? It'd take his fat ass too much time for him to turn around before I've already fired a double Sunday right into his back!" Raditz exclaimed, slamming his empty bottle against the table.

 The two Saiyans sat in the colonies bar, trying to speak over the loud whooping and hollering of the people around them. Never was it peaceful in the place, as alcohol and violent soldiers never mixed. Tables didn't last, cups would be smashed over someones head, and on a not so rare occasion there was a body count. The perfect place for Saiyans the place was, the beautiful beings that would serve them their drinks only adding to that. Raditz could never figure out if they were male or female, but a Saiyan didn't really ever have much a care for what their partner had down there, as long as there was a hole.

 One of the waiters came by, Nappa having seemed to catch their interest. And soon the Saiyan smugly followed the waiter out of the bar, leaving Raditz. The long haired saiyan growled, watching the chaos of the bar.

 "Oh great, a fights starting again," He huffed, looking up to watch what was happening. It was a woman, Zarbon's race, and she was a big one. Though unknown to him, as she was in a transformed state. One Raditz didn't recognize to be the lovely general's race. Facing her was a man. The man was tall, with red skin and dark brown hair. He screamed at her, one of the waiters cowering behind him.o"Excuse you! That is no way to treat someone you perverted fuck!" The man growled, glaring at the hideous beast of a woman. The woman snarled, reaching tp grab at the thin male the Red-skinned man was protecting. She never got that far, her arm grabbed and she was thrown into one of the tables. The crowd watching laughed and hooted, the fight officially starting. For a while of it, Raditz watched in amusement, but after a while got bored of watching the beast get her shit kicked in.

* * *

 

 He walked down the empty halls, grumbling to himself about never getting a chance to get any. He huffed, taking a turn into the next hallway. as he walked, a metallic scent caught his interest. It was a strange smell, metallic and bitter, and yet it was also a sweet smell. He grimaced, recognizing his as the terrible scent Zarbon carried. 

 "Oh great, just who I needed to make this bullshit day better..." He growled. "At least it's distant, maybe I wont have to deal with pretty boy," He laughed. He walked further down the halls, the metallic smell growing more and more noticeable, this began to worry him. He walked faster, looking around his surroundings. He stopped, looking at a map on the wall. He traced his finger along the halls he'd walked down, looking for where he was now. 

 "I'm around Frieza's office.. Maybe that's where the blood smell is coming from..." He noted, starting off down the hall again. His eyes widened as he walked fast Frieza's office, finding a trail of teal blood on the floor. He gulped, slowly following it. it was a lot, as if the owner of the blood had suffered a serious wound. He followed for a while, getting halfway down the hallway before finding a body limply laying on the ground, in a puddle of blood.

"...Zarbon?" he gasped, staring down at the general on the ground. He looked around, trying to figure out what had happened. He guessed Frieza had done something, but he couldn't guess why. He thought that Frieza adored Zarbon, since he was put in such a high position after all. As he though, a weak whimper snapped him from his thoughts. So, Zarbon was still alive then? Raditz looked down at him, a smirk forming across his face. Nobody was around, he could easily put Zarbon out of his misery right then and there. 

"No... I'd get in the worst trouble," He huffed, looking down at the helpless man. Zarbon laid on his stomach, weakly curled up. His bloodstained cape covering his body. Raditz guessed that the wound was on Zarbon's back, since there was so much blood there. He wondered for a moment, thinking about whether or not he should help. He smirked again, thinking about how he could trick his way onto Zarbon's good side. Life working for Frieza would be so much easier if one of the advisers didn't hate him, and he could enjoy Nappa and Vegeta's reactions.

 He knelt down, carefully moving Zarbon onto his back. Zarbon jerked, crying out in pain as his movement caused strain to his back. Raditz frowned, noticing the tears spilling down Zarbon's face as he sobbed, obviously delirious. Raditz sighed, gritting his teeth. Gods, the others would mock him endlessly if they caught him helping the one they hated so much. He didn't want them thinking he'd gone soft. He glared down at Zarbon, ready to just leave him there. But instead, he found himself frozen in place, stuck watching Zarbon in the pathetic helpless state he was in. His face softened, and he couldn't help but feel pity for the poor man. 

 "Quit crybabyin.. I'm not gonna hurt ya," He huffed, carefully sliding his hands underneath Zarbon's body. He stood up, carrying Zarbon and gently cradling him to his chest.

Okay... Maybe he was going a bit soft. But only this once. He grumbled, carrying the wounded general off to the infirmary. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Edit: I'd fixed several spelling errors


	2. Staring In The Tank...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning: This chapter describes situations that might be triggering to some!

As the medic's stripped away Zarbon's damaged armor, it grew apparent to the Saiyan that the wound on Zarbon's back wasn't the only damage the man had gone through. One of the medics vomited at the sight, rushing out of the room. Raditz watched from a distance, the sight almost freaking even him out.

 "Severe damage to the genital area... Legs..." The doctor said in a monotone voice, which was drowned out by the disgusted exclamations the other medic's made, and the quite obvious weeping of one of female medics.

"How could this have happened!? What kind of sick bastard would do this!?" One of them exclaimed, leaning on the wall to keep from fainting.

"I mean, sure he's a self absorbed prick at times! But not even he deserves something as horrible as this!" cried another.

"Where did that soldier say he was found again? You know, the Saiyan that brought him here... I might have heard him wrong," A voice spoke, one that caught Raditz's attention. He stood straight, moving away from the metal wall of which he leaned on. He walked over, avoiding getting too close to the table that Zarbon's unconscious body lay. He dared to glance over, cringing at the sight. There was so much blood... Disgust washed over his body, and he couldn't help but feel enraged that someone could even stand to have such a strong and confident man put so low, to be forced into such a state of weakness and helplessness.

Now, he never did like Zarbon. The man was too much a prissy brat, having all that power he had absolutely no business owning. But even despite all of Zarbon's prancing about and showing off at every moment, Raditz could respect him. He fought well enough to become a general, to become the highest level soldier in the entire damned army. And to see such a man be put down to something like this, it filled Raditz with a rage stronger than his dislike towards Zarbon.

"I found him by Frieza's office, a trail of his blood leading from the place," He repeated, causing a the room to go silent, and the eyes of the medic's to widened fearfully. They were silent as they started to work on Zarbon, numbing the wounds and stitching up what they could. Raditz moved back to his place against the wall, watching the medics place Zarbon into the healing tank. He was determined not to leave the room until he was certain the general would be okay. At this point, he didn't care that it looked like he was going soft.

* * *

 

 It had been hours of waiting, and it was around night time now. He'd sat down by the tank, growling at how uncomfortable the chair was. He thought of leaving, but he knew that there would be questions to be answered once Zarbon left the tank. He glanced over at the tank, sighing.

 Can't believe I'm even helping this bastard... he's probably just gonna get pissy once he's out'a the tank, gonna whine about a "monkey" touching him," He scoffed, watching the wounds on Zarbon's body heal up. He stood, walking over to the tank. He dared to sneak a glance at Zarbon's nude body. 

"The most they could have done was give him somethin' to cover up his dick," He chuckled to himself, allowing himself to have a longer look. his cheeks flushed red, and he found himself unable to look away. He'd never admit it, but would occasionally steal a sneaky glace toward's Zarbon's shapely legs, marveling his curvy hips. But never had he been given a chance to have such a long look; at his nude body no less. Without the bulky armor and cape, he could now notice that Zarbon had more feminine hips than anything. His pale blue skin was dotted with little freckles around his shoulders and chest, a few on his cheeks and pointed nose.

"Maybe he's got the right to show off..." He mumbled, grinning as he noticed the shiny rings that pierced Zarbon's nipples, and the small gemstones that were pierced into the skin on Zarbon's hips. "Never understood the point of sticking metal into your skin like that..." he mumbled.

"Pardon me?" A voice spoke, startling Raditz a bit and snapping him from his gaze. He turned quickly, embarrassed that he'd been caught staring. He let out a relived sound as he found it was merely the doctor.

"What is it?" He grumbled, frowning. He looked down at the doctor, who was short and a bit chubby. they had dark purple skin and long black hair, and looked to be some kind of fish type alien. They had a tag on their white lab coat, Blakburry. Raditz guessed it was their name.

"I... I just wanted to thank you.. For bringing him here," They said, looking up at him with a slight smile. "I know you don't like him Raditz, But you did save his life, He could have died had you not brought him here," They added a bit sadly.

"Tch.. Whatever, It doesn't mean anything, I'm just trying to get off his bad side so he'd loosen up," He scoffed, his ears flushing red to indicate he was lying. Blakburry noticed, and only laughed.

"Whatever you say.. By the way, he should be waking soon, so watch out with your staring in case he catches you!" They replied, walking off with another laugh.

"I wasn't staring!" He called after them, face turning bright red. He was bad at lying. 

 

 


	3. Healed and Naked

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so incredibly sorry for not getting this out sooner! I've been at a loss for time and ideas on how to write this chapter. I think I've rewritten it three times already. My fault for not planning out the plot I guess!

  Zarbon was unsure of where he was as he woke up. All he could fell was the cold liquid encasing him and tubes wrapped around his body. There was an obnoxious beeping, and a voice muffled. He stretched out an arm, feeling cool glass against his palm. He opened his eyes, and his vision was blurred by the blue liquid surrounding him. He grimaced, coming to the realization that he was in one of the healing chambers. He growled, cursing whoever had put him in the tank. It was incredibly embarrassing to have been seen in the state of harm. He pondered for a moment, struggling to remember what the cause of his injury was. He gave up, and the only person on his mind was the Saiyan. He looked forwards, and a question was answered before he even asked it. 

 "Why is Raditz here...? Was one of the other monkeys injured?" He thought to himself as the liquid around him began to drain. As his sight returned, he couldn't help but let the corners of his mouth draw upwards into a half smile. Well, at least the doctor he trusted was the one healing him. However, a scowl was quickly on his face as he realized the Saiyan's eyes were on him. He guessed that it was Raditz who had brought him there. He removed the annoying tubes from his body, and barred his teeth with a growl. The chamber was opened, and Zarbon was handed a towel as quickly as Blakburry could give him one. 

  "Why the hell is he here?" Zarbon snarled, covering up any private bits. He glared at Raditz, who was smart enough to back away a bit.

  "He was the one who brought you here, he'd found you terribly injured," Blakburry explained with a sigh. Raditz wanted badly to say something rude to Zarbon, and demand for him to be thankful; But Raditz wanted to keep his head attached to his body more than he wanted that. Instead he merely nodded.

  "It was lucky that he had, because I'm certain that if we'd gotten to you later, that you would have died," Blakburry added, smiling towards Raditz. They were quite thankful, but it wasn't too certain if Zarbon felt the same. Zarbon turned to Raditz, his scowl still plastered onto his stern face. Raditz gulped, fearing that he'd fucked up.

 "Why...?" Was all Zarbon asked, confused as to why someone who'd hated him would help him. Zarbon may have been vain, but even he could understand that he was probably one of the least deserving people to have received the Saiyan's help. he couldn't for the life of him see why the Saiyan would even think to help him. When Raditz just shrugged, his scowl faded and instead his mass confusion was quite evident on his face. His eyes widened a bit, and think green brows were raised.

  "I dunno, Guess I just saw ya there and felt bad," Raditz halfway lied. Of course he wouldn't have admitted his plan to get higher. He wasn't dumb. Zarbon frowned, which caused Raditz some worry. He gulped, hoping he hadn't said the wrong thing.

  "You... You felt sorry for me?" Zarbon asked, sounding ruder than he intended. His eyes narrowed, and he furrowed his brows." Why would  _you_ of all people feel sorry for me? " He added, which didn't make the sentence seem any better. He cursed himself mentally, but of course he wouldn't let that show.

  "You were in real bad shape! Not an insult!" Raditz quickly said, trying to make things better. But really, he was just digging himself deeper. However, he allowed himself to be relieved when Zarbon's face softened.

  "I thought Saiyan's were a warrior class... If someone managed to harm me, Then they'd have definitely been able to kill you. Did you not think that whoever had done it could have been nearby?" Zarbon scoffed, crossing his arms over his still bare chest. He'd almost forgotten his state of nudity. That is, until Blakburry said something.

  "Hey! Before you argue any further, Zarbon I have a change of clothes for you! Ones from your room!" They said, smiling in relief as Zarbon looked over. Zarbon's cheeks flushed a teal, and he looked down at the floor.

  "O-Oh! Right..." He said softly, quickly taking the clothes from Blakburry and scurrying to the healing room's bathroom. Raditz couldn't help but be amused at Zarbon's awkward show of shyness.

  "Word of advice, Try to avoid saying stupid stuff around him.. He kicks hard..." Blakburry sighed, rolling their eyes. Raditz frowned, and looked down at the fish-like doctor.

"Yeah... Thanks for that," He huffed, glancing at the door of the bathroom. He had to admit, Zarbon was a damn confusing person.


	4. Alone Together

  Zarbon slammed the door to the bathroom shut behind him, his face bright teal in embarrassment. He began to wonder Raditz had seen something he wasn't supposed to. He shook his head, and ran a hand through his wet hair. He huffed, not wanting to have been seen insuch embarrassing ways. 

  "How could Blakburry have let him see me like that! They know how embarassing that is!" He exclaimed to himself, drying off his body. He glanced around the bathroom, hoping to at least find something to get his hair up. He sighed, pulling on the spandex given to him by Blakburry. They definitely were from his room, as they had also gotten him his regular arm and leg wear. He pulled those on as well, and shoved on his shoes. 

  "I can't believe a Saiyan saw me nude! If Dodoria were to find out, he'd not let me hear the end of it!" He huffed, looking in the mirror. They must have cleaned away his makeup, as his freckles were visible now. He grimaced, having always hated the dark spots. Luckily they'd at least had the decency to leave his tiara and earings on him. 

  "I wonder though... Where had Raditz found me? I can't remember anything past Frieza allowing me a glass of wine," He thought allowed, continuing to find anything for his hair. He found nothing of use, sadly. He turned to the door, sighing as he worked on drying his hair. 

  "It's going to puff up again if I don't get it fixed soon... Damn," He grumbled, opening the door. He'd hoped to see Raditz gone, but instead the one missing was Blakburry. He cursed, and thought to just ignore Raditz. But the Saiyan was determined to speak to Zarbon. 

  "What is it ape? I have to get back to Frieza soon." Zarbon huffed, crossing his arms as he gave Raditz his attention. The Saiyan gulped, looking over at Zarbon. 

  "I just wanted to tell you that me helpin you doesn't mean I like you," Raditz huffed, frowning as he looked away. Zarbon couldn't help but grin, and snorted a little. Raditz's eyes widened at the little snort, and he looked over at Zarbon in a bit of confusion. Zarbon's cheeks flushed dark in embarrassment as he realized he'd snorted, and he turned away from Raditz.

  "Whatever, it doesn't matter... But..." Zarbon sighed, gripping his arms. He had to swallow his pride, no matter how much it pained him to say it.

  "Thank you... I would have died without your help..." He mumbled, barely able to be heard. Raditz had heard him, and raised a brow in confusion. 

  "Yeah... Uhm... You're welcome," Raditz replied stiffly, not having actually expected a thank you. He watched Zarbon awkwardly leave the room, and smirked a bit as the door shut behind the general. He stifled his laughter, leaning against the wall.

  "Hah! Nappa wouldn't believe me if I told him that the mighty bitch actually thanked me," He laughed to himself, crossing his arms. It would be easier to get on Zarbon's good side than he'd thought. The beautiful general owed him now, and Raditz knew that. Oh, he definitely knew that. But the Saiyan would need to get closer to Zarbon to do all that. He just wasn't sure how he'd do it. 


	5. Changes in Behavior

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look finally a chapter with Dodoria. Not much Raditz in this one though. Sorry!

  It had been days since the encounter. Almost two weeks, if they'd gone by earth's standards of time. As far as anyone but the few doctors, Zarbon, and Raditz knew; Zarbon had never gone into the tanks. And with threats and bribes, Zarbon kept It that way.

 Though small, Zarbon's changes in attitude to the long haired Saiyan were quite noticeable; if you payed enough attention. He wouldn't insult the Saiyan when he'd pass by him; and even shoot him an occasional smile. The smile would be short, and barely a smile; But it meant something none the less.

  However, it wasn't only Raditz who would notice the small gestures. Dodoria had known Zarbon for years, and god be damned if he didn't take notice if his friend acted oddly. Dodoria knew far too well how desperate Zarbon could grow, especially in points in time where Frieza would deny Zarbon the right to any affectionate contact. And it definitely would be terrible if Zarbon crushed on a Saiyan of all people.

  Dodoria also knew that Zarbon was incredibly stubborn. It would be incredibly difficult to try and snap him out of it. Dodoria knew that it was unfair to bother Zarbon over it - especially since he was known to let things slide - But he didn't want his friend to be hurt; be it by the Saiyan or by Frieza. The first thing he needed to do, was find out _why_ Zarbon was acting so differently. 

* * *

  Zarbon felt happier than he ever had before, and it showed in his actions. If he hadn't walked flamboyantly before, he most certainly did now. His usual scowl had essentially vanished, and far less insults and snarls would leave his mouth. He seemed almost friendly now, and the soldiers very much enjoyed this change. And much to the Saiyan's surprise, they started receiving more missions, ones that weren't just garbage scouting or stopping some monster. Zarbon may have struggled to verbally thank Raditz, but showing his gratitude in this way was much more effective.

  Sneaking off to see the Saiyan's leave for their next mission was no easy task, but Zarbon had managed. He could have possibly just wanted to admire Raditz from afar and hidden, but he wouldn't admit it. So now, there he stood watching, internally shaming himself. He didn't know what exactly about the Saiyan drew him in, but there certainly was something. He'd usually go after people he knew could afford his expensive taste, People with class and dignity. There was nothing especially handsome about the rough Saiyan, and his hair resembled a rats nest more than anything. Perhaps the Saiyan having saved him had been what caused Zarbon to even bother. 

  With his hatred and dislike for Raditz having gotten in the way, He never took notice of how the man had features that made Zarbon weak in the knees just to think about. He had plenty of muscle, but not too much to look freakish. He'd stride in so much confidence in his abilities it amazed Zarbon. He'd rumble and roar with laughter in such an uncaring way, and smirk in a way that Zarbon could feel shivers run up his spine when he'd see it. Zarbon couldn't explain why he felt such adoration, nor did he care to find out. And he wanted to kick himself for not having noticed Raditz sooner.

  He never cared to admit, and would deny it if ever asked; But his heart throbbed for Raditz. He buried his blushing face into the fabric of his cape, and cursed himself. He was angry, and confused, and most of all he was happy. It was so cliche, and he'd call it love at first sight if he hadn't spent years knowing almost everything about the Saiyan. He looked up to see the pods shoot off into the sky, and almost felt himself ready to let out a whimper.

  These feelings of sadness were swatted away quickly, as a hand on the shoulder yanked him from his thoughts of love.

  "Who-" He started, tense and ready to launch whoever had given him such a start to the sky like the pods as he quickly spun a 180. However, he relaxed as he recognized the blob-like being that was Dodoria. He sighed, and crossed his arms with a scowl, glaring down at the other male in a more pouting manner. However, his scowl faded into a look of concern as he noticed the sorrowful look on his friend's face. Before he could open his mouth to talk, Dodoria let out a dreadful string of word, that caused Zarbon to gulp.

  "Listen.. Bonbon, we need to talk about Raditz..."     

 


	6. The Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter depicts a panic attack!!! This could potentially be triggering to someone who suffers from them like I do, so please read with caution or not at all. This is a warning!

 

  Nothing made Zarbon more nervous than those few small word. Not even when Frieza would shout and chastise. He was terrified now, praying to all the gods he could think of that Dodoria hadn't found out about his trip to the infirmary. He felt himself ready to cry, and his heart began to race. He gulped, and avoided eye contact with Dodoria as best he could. Around him, soldiers laughed and chattered excitedly about the missions finally being released. He began to panic, wondering if he'd made it obvious that he was less hard on the Saiyans. He gripped his cape nervously, and felt himself ready to collapse as suddenly everything began to grow overwhelming, and now all he wanted was to just curl up in a little ball and scream. 

  He felt closed in, and struggled to draw in a breath. His stomach churned, and his head grew fuzzy and his mind raced with abstract thought. He focused on trying to breath, and his body started to shake. He breathed too heavily, and tears welled up in his eyes. It felt like all eyes were on him, judging him and screaming at him. Someone repeated his name, in a comforting voice at least. He squeezed his eyes shut, feeling someones arms gently wrap around him. He was pulled against someones chest, and lifted carefully from the floor. Had he fallen to the floor? Was he the one gripping his hair? It didn't matter now, and someone was holding him now. 

  He couldn't tell how far he'd been carried, but as soon as he felt a sudden rush of warmth and soft silk sheets he could tell he was in his bed. He pressed against the chest of who'd held him. It was soft, like a cushion. Had Dodoria been wearing his armor over his shirt? He couldn't remember. A calloused hand ran gently through his hair, and a deep voice spoke comforting words to him. Zarbon trembled, and let out a shaky sob. His thoughts slowly evened out. He took a deep breath, and the pressure on his chest slowly faded. 

  "Bonbon? You alright now?" Dodoria asked calmly, wiping Zarbon's tears with a calloused thumb. Zarbon nodded, clinging to Dodoria as he opened his eyes. He looked up slowly, and let out a tiny whimper. Dodoria sighed, and only held him closer. Something had set off the panic, and guilt washed over Dodoria. He didn't want Zarbon to feel that way, and he was scared.

  "You fell... And..." He started, unable to really describe it. He looked down at Zarbon, frowning a bit. Zarbon let out a loud sob, and squeaked out several apologies. Dodoria shushed him, and comfortingly rubbed Zarbon's back with one hand, wiping his tears with the other.

  "Shh... Don't cry, it's okay. You're fine..." He said softly, holding Zarbon gently. Zarbon whimpered, squeezing his eyes shut. "I Just.. I just need to ask you about Raditz, why are you so nice all of a sudden?"

  "You... You won't judge me if I tell you?" Zarbon squeaked, burying his face into Dodoria's chest. "A-and... You won't tell Frieza?" He added. He opened his eyes, looking up at Dodoria. Dodoria nodded, petting Zarbon's hair to comfort him. Zarbon sniffled, and wiped away his tears with a handkerchief. 

  "He'd... He'd found me after one of the time's I'd got Frieza mad... He took me to the infirmary," He started, sitting up and getting out of Dodoria's lap. Dodoria's eyes widened a bit, and he frowned.

  "Is that why you were gone that day? How bad did Frieza hurt you?" Dodoria asked, furious that Frieza had hurt Zarbon. He growled, mad as well that a Saiyan was the one who'd found Zarbon in such a state. Dodoria didn't necessarily hate the species, but he most definitely did not trust Raditz around an already helpless Zarbon. He knew very well that the man hated Zarbon, and could have hurt him. He wasn't any special case, and had the battle instinct that all Saiyan's possessed.  

  "Bad enough to nearly kill me... I'm just glad I can't remember what he did..." Zarbon sighed. He looked up at Dodoria, his cheeks suddenly flushing as his mind moved on to Raditz. Dodoria grumbled as he noticed this, and guessed that his theory of Zarbon growing a crush on Raditz was true. And with how suddenly nice Zarbon was being to the saiyan's after the incident, it grew clear that there must have been a reason for Raditz to have helped Zarbon.

  "But it doesn't matter now! It helped me notice him..." Zarbon added, smiling a little as his cheeks flushed dark. Dodoria grimaced, noticing how Zarbon was acting like a love struck fool. He cursed how easily Zarbon grew crushes, especially ones based on looks. 

  "Zarbon... Do you think that maybe Raditz had some sort of plan when he'd helped you?" Dodoria asked, watching Zarbon grow confused. Zarbon frowned, and crossed his arms. He was blinded with lust and his own stubbornness now.

  "No! Of course not! You're ridiculous!" He sputtered, huffing. He refused to believe he'd let himself grow to crush on someone tricking him, no matter how obvious it was right in front of his face. Dodoria grumbled, and sighed as he stood up. He knew it would upset Zarbon, but he wasn't about to let him be hurt.

  "Zarbon, how do you think someone who hates you would suddenly start wanting to help you, knowing that you're still in shock and easy to take advantage of, and not take advantage of that? " He asked, far harsher than he meant to be." He's a Saiyan Zarbon, you know perfectly well that they don't feel as much as other people.. They don't usually feel love like we do!" He added, needing to get it through Zarbon's head. He watched how Zarbon's smile faded, and he hunched into himself.

  "Y-you're... You're wrong..." Zarbon mumbled, looking away from him. "You... You just don't want me to be happy! You're jealous of him!" He wailed stubbornly, refusing to listen. Dodoria huffed, and knew it would take more. However, he knew that he couldn't just keep yelling at Zarbon in the state he was in. He stared at Zarbon, who turned away from him, Then, he left.


	7. Drunk Rambling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Look who's finally updating this after like, a billion years. Guess I've just been busy and couldn't exactly find out where I wanted this fic to go.

 

  Another empty bottle clinked against the table, with the other three already there. Zarbon couldn't even read the label anymore. He didn't remember if he'd stolen the wine or bought it. He laid his head on the table, sighing out. The bar was practically empty, probably from the commander's presence. He didn't care about that. He'd rather have less people see him in such a depressing state. His head was spinning as he sat up, hearing the sound of the door opening. 

  Raditz grumbled, stepping into the bar. He cursed Nappa and his idiocy. They'd nearly failed the mission because of him. He needed a drink to avoid needing to punch the man in his mustached face. It had been the first good mission in a long while that they'd gotten, and he wasn't about to let anyone think he wasn't competent enough to do such a mission. he scanned the bar, not expecting to see Zarbon at the table, hardly able to keep his head up. 

  Zarbon saw him, and decided that it was time to leave. However he was far too drunk to stand easily. He'd nearly fallen right on his ass as he tried. An arm wrapped around his waist, helping him stay up. He grimaced, knowing that Raditz was helping him. Was it pity that drove the Saiyan? Or was Dodoria right about him wanting something. He tried to pull away, but the Saiyan had a far tighter grip on him than he'd thought.

  "Quit being so damn stubborn," Raditz huffed, lifting Zarbon up into his arms. Zarbon mumbled something under his breath, but his words were too slurred for Raditz to understand. The Saiyan rolled his eyes, exiting the bar with Zarbon in his arms. The few people in the bar watched, snickering and making lewd comments. Raditz heard them, and fought the urge to return insults. 

  He didn't know where Zarbon's room was, so he'd elected that his own room would be fine until he could find somewhere else to put him. As long as he didn't puke or assume Raditz had done something. Raditz looked down at the drunken man, who was now pressing his face into the Saiyan's chest. The Saiyan smirked, wondering how many times he'd end up having to carry the man like this.

  "Why are you helping me again?" Zarbon asked finally, looking up at Raditz. His cheeks were teal from both the alcohol, and the embarrassment of being held. He was almost afraid to hear the answer. Raditz just shrugged, not entirely sure himself why he'd kept helping him. He'd gotten what he'd wanted the first time, and he had no real reason this time. He kept walking turning the corner into the hallway the low level soldier's living quarters were.

  "Where is everyone? Something special going on?" Raditz asked to nobody in particular. Zarbon answered softly. Though Raditz couldn't hear him. It didn't matter anyway, as long as he wasn't seen carrying Zarbon to his room he didn't care. The soldiers on this planet were more under the lead of Dodoria, and no doubt the news would reach him if it was found out. Raditz didn't want to even think of how much it would enrage that man. It wasn't unknown how protective he was over Zarbon.

  "Don't puke on me," Raditz huffed as he opened the door, hearing Zarbon groan in pain as the alcohol began to affect his stomach. He stepped into his room, stepping over a broken chair and placed Zarbon carefully on his bed. Zarbon let out a whine, hand grasping Raditz's arm as he tried to turn away.

  "Don't leave me alone, Please!" He pleaded drunkenly, looking up at Raditz with teary eyes. Raditz sighed, and sat on the bed. Great. First he had to deal with a drunk Zarbon, and now he had to deal with a drunk _and crying_ Zarbon. He grumbled as he tried to pull his hand away, only to be pulled down on top of Zarbon. Their faces were merely inches away from each other, and Raditz's cheeks flared red. He looked into Zarbon's teary eyes, gulping a bit as Zarbon only cried harder. He was sobbing out something, something too slurred for Raditz to really understand.

  "Hey! Calm down a minute would you? I can't understand you..." He grumbled, trying to sit up. Zarbon clung to him, keeping him down. Raditz frowned, as Zarbon spoke again. 

  "Please quit helping me... You're confusing me! So much!" Zarbon stammered, tears streaming down his cheeks. "I-I don't want to love you... I don't!" He said, burying his face into Raditz's chest. The Saiyan's eyes widened in shock. Did Zarbon just say he'd loved him? No, it must have been the alcohol speaking. Raditz couldn't believe that at all.

  "You're drunk Zarbon, Stop talking!" He huffed, trying to pry him off. Zarbon only clung tighter to him, whimpering. Raditz growled, biting Zarbon's exposed shoulder hard in an attempt to loosen Zarbon's grip on him. However the reaction he'd gotten instead was definitely unexpected. Zarbon yelped softly, tensing up as a shiver ran down his spine. Raditz's eyes widened, realizing that he'd just accidentally found out that the commander was a masochist.


	8. Decency

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Raditz is a somewhat decent guy in this? surprise!!

 

  Raditz wasn't that desperate. No, There was a line he was not going to cross. He yanked away from Zarbon. He wasn't going to be the bastard to take advantage of Zarbon being drunk. Raditz wasn't like Frieza.. He stood, looking down at Zarbon. He'd accidentally left a mark on Zarbon's shoulder, which he prayed for the sake of his life that Dodoria didn't end up seeing.

  "Thinking back on it.. The guys in the bar were Dodoria's men.. Shit," He mumbled. That meant news would quickly reach Dodoria, and that terrified him. What if those guys told their boss the wrong thing? they could have assumed that Raditz was just some pervert for gods sake! He wasn't ready to be killed for a little misunderstanding. He looked back at the bed, grimacing. Zarbon had passed out at least, so he didn't have to deal with him much anymore. He was going to have a hell of a hangover in the morning though. 

  "I can't keep him here, don't want him angry once he'd sober..." Raditz mumbled. He could take him to the infirmary, in the safety of his doctor's watch. Blakburry was a level headed person, and could explain things to Dodoria! Raditz looked back at Zarbon. The real question was, how was Raditz even going to get him there? He didn't weigh too little himself, but Zarbon weighed much more than Raditz enjoyed carrying down the halls. 

  "No... that's probably a worse idea. I might get seen again." He sighed. His eyes traveled over to the door, and he held his chin in thought. Perhaps he'd leave a note for Zarbon to see when he woke up? He snatched up a notepad, scribbling down a brief explanation. He wasn't about to be there when Zarbon woke up. He placed that, along with a bottle of water on the night stand. With a scoff, he allowed himself to look closer at Zarbon. 

  He was a taken aback by what he'd seen. There were lines caused by stress underneath his eyes, surrounded in little teal freckles. At the roots of his otherwise perfect hair, a few strands were starting to turn grey. Raditz scowled, wondering how much stress Zarbon must have been going through. He remembered what Zarbon had said before, about not wanting to be having feelings for him. Was Zarbon speaking because he was drunk? Or was the truth pulled out because of the alcohol, and the fact that Raditz was torturing his heart with his help. 

  Raditz growled, fists curling. He shouldn't have been the one angry, He was the one using Zarbon dammit! But he was. He was angry that he'd managed to fuck up this badly. What was he supposed to do? Pretend to like him back? Tell him the truth? He was a terrible liar, but even more of a coward. If Zarbon knew the real reason he'd saved his life, what was to stop him from just killing Raditz? Raditz wasn't entirely convinced that the general's crush on him would be enough to save him. 

  "Damnit! I need to get a drink," Raditz growled, leaving the room before he'd do something he'd regret. 

* * *

 

  Zarbon woke up, head throbbing. He groaned, sitting up. Where the hell was he? He opened his eyes to find out, and nearly screamed as he saw that he wasn't in his own room. He jerked out of the bed, throwing the blanket away. He'd thought that someone had drugged him, and dragged him away to their room. As he stood, his eyes were caught by the sight of a note. 

  Zarbon growled, gritting his teeth as he grabbed it up. He nearly crumbled the paper, his hands shaking in anger. 

  "You were drunk off your ass, so I got you out of there before you gave yourself alcohol poisoning. Also, sorry about your shoulder. I had to bite you to get you to let go of me.. -Raditz." The note read. Zarbon's anger died down, but his brow raised in confusion at the last bit. He glanced over at his shoulder, scowling as he noticed the mark. He felt much better knowing that at least it was someone who'd helped him before. 

  Concern washed over him quickly though. What kind of things had he said while drunk? Did anyone see Raditz helping him. He gulped, remembering that there were some of Dodoria's men having been enjoying a drink in the bar. He dropped the note, quickly rushing out of the room. He needed to find Dodoria, and fast. No doubt, if the news reached that man, all the tips he'd used to help with his anger would be entirely forgotten. 

  "Where is that pink bastard?" He mumbled to himself, starting off down the halls.


	9. Anger Management

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for taking so long! I kept losing all my work, luckily tho I found somewhere to write where I won't lose all my work. Here it is at last, chapter 9.

 News had been quick to reach Dodoria, and nobody could stop him as he took off storming down the hall. Now, it was a known fact that he’d had a few issues with his anger. It was also known that any poor bastard who provoked that anger was certainly not going to have much a chance of staying among the world of the living. It was either death or a visit to the infirmary. 

 Soldier’s ducked out of the way, some even vacating the halls all together. Only two soldiers knew what had set Dodoria into such a state. They had been sitting in the bar, enjoying a short break from work. They’d been surprised to see Zarbon walk in to get himself completely hammered; and one considered going to inform Dodoria then. However the two remained still, until Raditz came in that is. Nobody knew of how Raditz had been helping Zarbon, so the soldiers were shocked to see him carry a completely wasted Zarbon out of the room. 

 The two had panicked, and dashed down the halls as quick as they could to inform Dodoria of their discovery. Another well known fact about Dodoria was that he cared for nothing more than he did Zarbon. Despite the other commander being stronger than him, he was regularly seen protecting him when it was necessary. Their close friendship sparked many rumors, that could have been true. Dodoria didn’t care for these rumors, and was not ashamed of how he cared for his dear friend. 

 Now, hearing news of his beloved Zarbon being drunk to the point of helplessness was awful enough to him as it was, but what else he learned was what what truly sent him into rage. He remembered what Zarbon had told him, about how Raditz had helped him. Oh gods, what if Raditz had taken the chance to get something from Zarbon? What if he felt that Zarbon owed him something? His fists curled in anger at the thought; The thought of someone touching  _ his _ Zarbon. 

 He needed to find Zarbon, to see if he was okay. The soldiers had told him the incident had happened hours before, and he was terrified that something already had happened. It was either him finding Zarbon safe, or finding Raditz. He didn’t trust him one bit. It was obvious he was looking for something in return when he’d helped Zarbon, but nobody knew what. Dodoria was too good at assuming though. Logic was gone, and all he could think about was beating the everloving hell out of Raditz once he found him.

 “Dodoria?” A soft voice spoke, a voice Dodoria held so dearly. He turned to see the gorgeous face of the man he loved. He couldn’t deny it, he’d come to love the other. Zarbon was so ridiculously stunning, and frankly Dodoria thought everything about him was perfect. He wanted nothing more than to kiss those freckled blue cheeks and feel his silky green hair in his hands. 

 A dainty hand cupped Dodoria’s cheek, and Zarbon pulled him into a warm embrace. Soldiers simply turned away, silently keeping out of the way. It was better to leave them unbothered, because it seemed only Zarbon knew how to effectively calm Dodoria of his anger. He looked down at Zarbon, his fits uncurling and relaxing. 

 “I’m sorry for worrying you Dodo,” Zarbon spoke softly. The corners of his mouth curled into what resembled a smile. Dodoria wrapped his arms around the other male, holding him close in a protective manner.

 “My men had told me you were in trouble,” He mumbled, pressing his face into Zarbon’s warm chest. It was a curse and a blessing how tall Zarbon was. For one, he could easily rest his head against his chest. Though he unfortunately couldn’t gain easy access to his face. 

 “Did he hurt you?” He grunted, his worries of what Raditz could have done returning. Zarbon shook his head, his thumb rubbing along Dodoria’s cheek in a calming circle. Dodoria glanced up at him, ears pointed downwards in frustration. 

 “What’s that…” His voice was low as a bite on Zarbon’s shoulder caught his eyes. He knew those kinds of marks. Zarbon glanced down at his shoulder, grimacing at the mark on his shoulder. He really should have covered it, it would bring too many assumptions. Raditz had explained in the note, and Zarbon trusted that it wasn’t lying. He knew at least that Raditz wouldn’t stoop down to that level.

 “It’s nothing, I’ll explain it later,” Zarbon assured. Though he knew that wouldn’t keep it from upsetting Dodoria. He gulped, pressing closer in an attempt to keep him from growing enraged again. 

 “What did he do to you?! Did you pass out?!” He growled, holding Zarbon tight.

 “W-Well yes, but I trust he didn’t do anything-” He said, being interrupted by Dodoria pulling away. He clenched his fists, glaring into the distance. Zarbon turned to see what he was looking at, and there stood Raditz. The Saiyan gulped, and turned back around, running off down the hall...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this was mainly gonna be Zarbs x Raddy but I can't help myself. Also Raditz bouta have to run for his life.


	10. Placing Bets

“My bets are on Dodoria,” The woman’s voice laughed. Long nails tapped against the desk, a single eye watching the screen carefully. Over the screen she saw a certain hairball of a Saiyan dashing down the halls, as if running for his life. He probably was, though his pursuer wasn’t moving all that fast. Nobody really moved all that fast when someone as big as Zarbon had his arms around you in an attempt to keep you from getting away.

Though it was obvious Zarbon’s strength was faltering, his past decision of getting completely wasted coming back to bite him in the ass. And most of his strength laid in his legs, not his upper body. Unlike Dodoria, who it could be safely assumed was built for strength, and was almost successful in struggling against Zarbon’s grasp.

A deep southern voice replied to her, with an exasperated sigh. The scouter gave her a fuzzy feedback of his voice, but it was working nonetheless.

“You know, it seems a little heartless to bet against someone of our species, especially with so little of us left.” The man spoke. The woman rolled her one functioning eye, the other just stagnant. 

“Oh come on Okra, those three already cast us away. And besides, it’d be even more heartless to bet against a friend.” She laughed, running a hand through her black untamed hair. A fuzzy tail flicked in amusement behind her, and she stood from the seat she sat in.

Another sigh came through the scouter as she watched the screen closer, stepping over the unconscious body of the security officer.

“I guess you’re right there. But how do you know what’s goin on in there? Doesn’t seem like you’re close by.” Okra huffed, and the Saiyan woman could just tell he wasn’t amused. She looked down at the guard, and glanced away from it.

“Uhhhh… That’s not important,” She said. She was about to speak again when she saw Dodoria no longer in Zarbon’s grasp. She switched the screen to another camera, almost laughing as she saw Raditz reach a dead end in the halls.

“Looks like you’ll be owing me a drink cowboy, our furball got himself cornered, and Dodo’s free.” She laughed, watching Dodoria go through the halls through the screen.

“Damnit Celerah. Which colony are you all on? I’m cutting my vacation time short. Guess our Crocodile still needs his bodyguard.” The saiyan man growled through the scouter. Celerah grinned.

“Planet Gnat, that weird tropical one. Dunno why Frieza brought us here though, he hates the humidity,” Celerah answered. “Doctor likes it here though, so does our croc.” 

“Yeah, Yeah. I’ll see you in a few days. Make sure that love triangle doesn’t get anyone important hurt.” Okra sighed, the two sharing a goodbye before the call dropped. She switched the camera back to Zarbon, who was obviously frustrated as another soldier spoke to him. 

“H-huh… Wh-what happened, who are you!?” A voice from down on the floor demanded. Celerah sighed and turned to the awake guard, and kicked him hard in the face. And back to unconsciousness he went.

“Great, it’s that stupid messenger of Frieza’s. That fuckin lizard’s probably trying to pull that shit he did last time, which is what caused this stupid mess. Great!” She huffed, stamping towards the door. If Okra wasn’t there to protect Zarbon, and Dodoria was busy. Than she’d be the best for the job.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's this, New characters introduced? and they're saiyan? The chapter was shorter than the others, my apologies. Mostly a filler chapter to introduce some important characters, and of course provide some comedic relief before shit hit the fan. Also! to my readers, if you're enjoying this fic please bookmark it! My updates are unpredictable and I want you all to be able to see when a new chapter comes out! And comments are very appreciated, they're what motivate me to write this. I hope you all are enjoying reading KYEC (abbreviated the title, for everyone's benefit because of that long ass title.)


	11. Messenger

 If anyone annoyed Zarbon, it was the tiny purple skinned bastard that was speaking to him now. The man was good at nothing but kissing ass and relaying messages and information. How he’d even gotten a job in the Frieza Force was a miracle to him. He towered over the man, and could hardly see anything past the bright blue mess he called hair. 

 “What the hell do you want Gurepu, can’t you see I’m busy?” He growled, knowing Raditz would be injured or dead soon if he didn’t find Dodoria. Bright pink eyes glared up at him, and the scrawny man crossed his arms over his chest. 

 “Busy with what? Standing around looking pretty?” Gurepu sneered, confident in himself despite standing in front of a seven foot man who could likely kill him with one hit. Had Frieza not prohibited him from harming the messenger, Zarbon would have crushed his skull under his foot a long time ago. 

 “Or are you trying to get dicked by that hairball of a monkey that keeps helping you out? Are you that much of a tramp?” Gurepu laughed, a wicked smirk on his face. Zarbon stiffened at his comment, eyes wide in shock that the little bastard had that kind of information.

 “You little shit, you’re lucky I’m not allowed to kill you.” Zarbon snarled, baring sharp teeth out of anger. A low rumbling growl came from deep in his chest, and Gurepu seemed a bit nervous as he heard it. “Where did you get that information?”

 “I know everything that goes on here, and now so does Frieza!” He said, trying to seem as if he had any shred of bravery. He grew pleased however, as Zarbon had the look of pure fear on his face at what he had said. 

 “Y-You told him?” His voice was hardly more than a squeak, and he felt himself begin to tremble. He should have known. He should have known that Gurepu would figure out how to see what was happening, the bastard was vile and sneaky. Zarbon had always been the victim of the man’s intense hatred and anger. Though it wasn’t known why. 

 The real question he had though, was how would Frieza react to this new information? Would he beat him to the point of near death and mutilate his body? That seemed to be all Zarbon could think of him doing. And that alone terrified him to no end. 

 His body was paralyzed as he thought of what Frieza would do, and his heart began to race. Would Frieza kill him over this? He wouldn’t put it past him. Frieza very rarely allowed Zarbon to be near those he feared Zarbon catching feelings for, and especially hated it when Zarbon was around those people behind Frieza’s back. Raditz being a Saiyan only poured more salt onto the wound. 

 And speaking of Raditz, Dodoria was still looking for him, and on a rage nobody else could stop. Zarbon very much didn’t want one of the few people who actually treated him nicely to die, especially not by the hands of someone else Zarbon cared for. 

Gurepu snapping his fingers in front of Zarbon’s face knocked him out of his thoughts, causing Zarbon to flinch at the sudden sound. It was very common knowledge of how much Zarbon hated when people would deliberately make loud noises in his face. And anyone could count on the vile man that Gurepu was to use that to his advantage. 

 “Hey! Ape-fucker! I’m still talking to you,” Gurepu sneered, snapping his fingers several more times. If looks could kill, the glare Zarbon had given the other male would have killed him right away. Unfortunately though, the blue haired man still had a pulse.

 Zarbon’s hand moved faster than Gurepu could notice. The man gritted his teeth; Hissing in pain as Zarbon’s fist clamped around his wrist. The much larger male leaned close to the other’s face, teeth bared in rage. Gurepu swallowed hard, struggling to not cry out in pain as he felt Zarbon’s hand start crushing his wrists.

 “Don’t you dare call him an ape, you pathetic scumbag,” Zarbon snarled, lifting Gurepu by the wrist to his level. 

 “If I survive whatever bullshit you just threw me into, I’ll crush your fucking skull.” He spoke lowly, his eyes locked into the other’s terrified pink ones. The other didn’t speak, the only sound that he made was a cry of pain as he was violently thrown onto the floor. Zarbon stepped over him, having no choice but to go to Frieza’s office. 

 He hoped Radtz would be okay, and would forgive him...


	12. Lying

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A warning: This chapter contains sensitive material, which may cause discomfort. While nothing graphic had happened, it shows a bit of violence and bad language. Please read with caution!

 The least Zarbon could do was fake being calm. Perhaps if he acted as if Frieza had no idea what he was talking about, he would get out of the inevitable punishment. Gurepu was never the most trustworthy person, and anyone with sanity would never trust him. He’d not had any clearance to the security room, so it was very likely he had no video evidence.

 All that showed proof of Zarbon’s encounter with Raditz was the medical file… 

 “Shit…” Zarbon mumbled to himself as he reached the door to Frieza’s office. His voice broke as he spoke to himself, and he couldn’t stop the heaving sob that shook his body. Of course Frieza would have seen the file, not even Blakburry could hide the files from him. Even if it didn’t mention Raditz, it was still proof that somebody had helped him. Frieza had already noticed how Zarbon’s mood had changed around the Saiyans, and he wasn’t dumb. 

 Zarbon had to force himself to keep from breaking into full on tears as he stated his presence. He cringed as he heard Frieza’s voice telling him to enter. The tyrant was very obviously unhappy, his tone harsh. Zarbon placed his palm against the scanner, and hoped for an error that would stall his entry. No such thing happened. 

 Was this it? Had Frieza finally decided to just cross Zarbon off his list of problems once and for all? 

 “Ah there you are Zarbon… You’ve kept me waiting,” Frieza sighed as he saw Zarbon enter the room. Black nails tapped impatiently against an empty wine glass. Crimson eyes stared into Zarbon’s soul, it almost felt as if they were clenching his heart.

 Zarbon let out a soft gasp as he realized in just those few seconds he’d made a fatal mistake. He dropped to a knee, lowering his head to Frieza in a show of submission. 

 “M-my lord! I apologize, I had been given trouble-” 

 “Silence! I had not given you permission to speak! I don’t wish to hear your petty excuses!” Frieza snarled out. There was a loud bang through the room, erupting a whimper out of Zarbon. It had been Frieza’s tail, slamming hard against the metal floor. 

 Zarbon kept his head lowered, even as tears began to stream down his cheeks. He very much didn’t want Frieza to see him crying, but he couldn’t stop them. Frieza’s chuckle sent chills up Zarbon’s spine, and he cringed as he heard it. 

 “Come closer Zarbon,” Frieza ordered. Zarbon hesitantly obeyed. He shakily stood, yelping as a blast fired at his feet.

 “I want you to crawl to me… Like the loyal dog you are,” Frieza snarled, his tail swiping Zarbon’s feet from under him. Zarbon hit the floor with a loud thump, and whimpered pitifully as he crawled towards Frieza. It was absolutely humiliating. 

 “Closer…” Frieza purred out, and continued to beckon Zarbon closer until he was at his feet. He reached out a hand, running his finger gently along Zarbon’s jawline. He frowned as Zarbon winced away from his touch. 

 “M-my lord… I’m sorry,” Zarbon squeaked out. He squeezed his eyes shut, a sob leaving his mouth as Frieza’s fingers tangled into his hair, giving it a harsh tug. He felt hairs rip from his scalp, and let out a loud yelp.

 “Once again I did not give you permission to speak!” Frieza roared. He yanked Zarbon forward by the hair, ignoring the cries of pain Zarbon made. He brought Zarbon upwards, his lips brushing against his ear as his hand held more gently to Zarbon’s hair. 

 “Do you want that hairy ape to fuck you Zarbon?” He whispered, watching in amusement as Zarbon cringed. He gently stroked Zarbon’s hair, and cupped his cheek. His thumb drew circles on the soft skin, and the tyrant wondered how easily he could cover that delicate skin in bruises and cuts. 

 “N-no my lord…” Zarbon replied, hesitant. He flinched, expecting Frieza to hit him again. This time no harm was inflicted.

 “Oh really?” Frieza hummed, looking down at Zarbon’s terrified face. His crimson eyes caught Zarbon’s amber ones, and a smirk spread across his face.

 “Perhaps he already has… Judging from that mark he left on you. You were foolish enough to let yourself be vulnerable around him,” He spoke softly. His voice had a mockingly sweet tone, one that made Zarbon almost gag.

 “N-no! He wouldn’t do that… H-he saved me… he wouldn’t do that!” 


	13. Confronted

It was as soon as Raditz found himself backed into a corner, that he just accepted the fact that Dodoria was very likely going to kill him. At least there were worse deaths he could have had, like someone holding him still as some other guy shoots them both through the chest. Hah, the thought of that type of death was embarrassing enough to just think about it. 

He grew aware of the fact that perhaps things would have been made a lot easier if he’d not just ran off as soon as he saw Dodoria. Zarbon quite clearly had it under control, until scurried off like a mouse that had been found out by the murderous cat.

And yet here he was, running like a coward from a man who frankly didn’t run. It was more like, a very angry walk, that happened to be surprisingly fast. He was about to turn back to find some other hallway to duck into with his tail between his legs. But unfortunately instead he faced the very man he had been running away from. And he grew painfully aware of the fact that the man punched hard. 

A horrible pain struck his abdomen as he stumbled back, bile raising as he had been violently punched right in the stomach. 

He remembered back to the time with Nappa in the bar, where he had been bragging over how he could totally kick Dodoria’s ass. He’d have laughed from the irony, if he weren’t on the ground gasping in pain. 

“I… I ain’t done nothin!” He wheezed out, hand clutching his gut as he tried to get to his feet. But he was really just uselessly scrambling over the metal floor. 

“Don’t try to play dumb with me Raditz,” Dodoria growled, crossing his arms over his chest as he let out a gruff breath. Onyx eyes glared down at the Saiyan, and the man gritted his teeth against each other. “I know full well that you aren’t just helping him out of some sudden kindness out of your heart,” He said.

If looks could kill, Raditz would have fallen dead on the floor from the glare he was getting. He stood slowly, his tail raveled tight around his waist as he swallowed nervously, knowing it would be nothing but entirely useless to try and lie to the other man. And besides, Raditz was a terrible liar anyway.

“What’s it to you anyway?” Raditz huffed, trying to dodge the fact he’d have to tell the truth about what he was truly planning. If he was really planning anything at all. At first, he’d thought nothing of it. He was snaking his way into Zarbon’s trust, knowing if he tried hard enough he could have used it to his advantage, move up a few ranks, and get the respect he deserved.

Now though… it felt different when he was helping Zarbon out. And that drunken and tearful confession Zarbon had sobbed out, it truly shocked him. He’d been so shocked to see Zarbon in such a vulnerable state… Right? Had it actually been shock? It hadn’t helped when he’d had to bite the man to get him to let go, and had accidentally brought out a tiny whimper of a sound. 

The Saiyan was lucky to have had self control at that moment, truly. He’d had such urges before, when seeing other beings in such a vulnerable state, but they had been in bed with him, and ready to begin with. Raditz wasn’t used to feeling such urges towards people he’d had no chance with, and this was worrying him. He felt his face warm a little at the thought, and glanced down at the ground for just a second as he shoved those thoughts and feelings away. 

Before he could open his mouth to speak Dodoria spoke, his voice deep and rough like gravel. And Raditz almost wished that Dodoria’s anger had been the more explosive kind everyone was used to, because somehow this was scaring him much more.

“I know what you’re doing Raditz,” He growled, gripping the saiyan tightly by the shoulder. Raditz had flinched a little, much to his horrible embarrassment. “You’re only helping him because it’ll get you higher in the ranks, it damn obvious.” 

He’d hit the nail right on the head, or at least, the original one. 

“And so what if I am? It’s not like it’s hurting anyone is it?” The saiyan said, at least attempting to seem tough in the situation. He winced as Dodoria’s fist balled up, and closed his eyes as he waited for the impact against his face.

“Dodoria! There you are! It’s Zarbon, h-he’s stuck with Frieza, alone!” A female voice called out, and Raditz opened his eyes to see a familiar one eyed woman he’d never expected to see again...


	14. Demotion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> May contain triggering content. Violence and mentions of sexual stuff.

“My dear Zarbon, you’re such a delicate creature,” Frieza hummed softly, his hand cupping Zarbon’s tearstained cheek. He ran his tongue along his lips, the corner of his mouth raising as he felt the warm tears drip against his hand. Zarbon let out a little whimper, squeezing his eyes shut as Frieza’s thumb rubbed his cheekbone in small circles.

“I don’t want those filthy apes to damage you, and dirty you…” The tyrant cooed out, his tail slowly moving to rest against Zarbon’s back, bringing the man closer. The man was trembling in fear, his head practically resting in Frieza’s throne at this point. Frieza ran a finger over the fading bite that Raditz had left, frowning. “And yet, one of them has already tried.”

“M-My lord… Please-” Zarbon had started, but was cut short as Frieza pressed a finger against his servant’s plump lips. The emperor nearly shivered as he felt how soft those lips were, and once again licked his lips. The frown vanished again, and Frieza chuckled.

“You’re much too soft to be around all these soldiers, I can’t believe I’d made the mistake of putting you near such savages,” He whispered, his hands feeling along the smooth skin on Zarbon’s face. 

Zarbon cringed, wanting nothing more than to curl up into a ball and die at this moment. His nose wrinkled in disgust as he could smell the stench of wine coming from Frieza. He dared to open his eyes, the ruby irises of Frieza’s locking into his own. He once again felt himself freeze. 

“All this time I’ve been letting common filth look at you, how foolish… I should have known to keep you here for myself,” 

“S-sir may I please leave,” Zarbon practically begged, new tears streaming down his face again. He squeezed his eyes shut once again, and let out a muffled sob as he felt Frieza’s hands move away from his face. He hadn’t expected to be thrown to the ground with a stinging pain in his cheek.

“How many times must I tell you that you cannot speak?!” Frieza’s voice bellowed, and the emperor stood from his throne. He stepped over to the cowering man on the floor, and let his foot connect with a stomach. Zarbon let out a loud grunt of pain, and slid further down on the floor. “You need to drop this notion of equality that you hold so dearly, you’re nothing but a pathetic worm!” The tyrant snarled, finding a sadistic pleasure in the terrified sobs that he heard Zarbon let out. 

A tail thumped excitedly against the metal floor as Frieza drew closer to Zarbon’s spot on the floor, and Frieza let out a guttural growl. “You’re nothing but my property! My pet!” He snarled out, reaching down to tangle his hand into his servant’s hair. Zarbon cried out in pain, wailing out as he was lifted by his braid. 

“Y-you’re hurting me!” He cried out as he was dragged across the floor.  
“Good! Perhaps if I torture you enough you’ll learn to be obedient…” The emperor snarled out. His knee connected harshly to Zarbon’s gut, leaving him gasping out as he was dropped onto the floor again. He clutched his stomach, gritting his teeth as he felt the horrible pain.

“Letting you have freedom to move as you’d like has given you a dangerous confidence hasn’t it Zarbon?” Frieza asked, looking down at the trembling man on the floor. His tail slammed against the ground, before wrapping tightly around Zarbon’s neck.

Zarbon gasped for air as the airway was squeezed. His adam's apple felt like it was going to be crushed, and Zarbon began to panic at the thought of this being the end.

“You’ve grown too comfortable, too desperate…” The tyrant growled, his tail squeezing tighter. He watched the other wheeze pathetically, a smirk spreading across his face. “So desperate that you go to the monkey trash,”

Zarbon felt light headed, his face turning dark teal as he was being strangled. His vision started to blur, when suddenly the tail around his throat unraveled. 

“Perhaps the best way to get you to behave, it to just kill the Saiyan,” Frieza hummed, watching Zarbon desperately gulp down air, coughing and wheezing.

“N-No! My lord please!” Zarbon gasped out, looking up at his master from the floor. His eyes widened. “He hadn’t done anything wrong sir! He’d just brought me to the medical bay!” He admitted, ducking his head down.

“Oh?” Frieza tilted his head to the side, this new information rather interesting. “And when had this been…?”

Zarbon swallowed hard, his throat hurting like hell. The bruise was dark already. “After… After the destruction of planet E-456 sir…” He spoke, not daring to look up at his master. Though he could tell the other was scowling.

“Hmm… That explains why you hadn’t been dead on that floor…” He said, He had sent someone to grab Zarbon, after many hours. Dead or alive. But he’d not been there.

“Well, The monkey gets to live then,” He started, Zarbon began to thank him, but was interrupted by Frieza’s tail slamming against his nose, the cartilage cracking.

“However! Since you’ve been sneaking around behind my back, and kept this all a secret, I’ll have to demote you for the time being.”

“But my lord-!”

“If you love that monkey so much! You can be around him on the mission I am sending you on.” Frieza knelt down to Zarbon.

“Yes sir…”

“Now drag your sorry ass to the infirmary, you’re leaving soon.”

“Yes sir…”


	15. Realization

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A badly written chapter just to move the plot along. Next chapter will be much better.

Raditz watched as Dodoria hurried off, to find Zarbon. Raditz swallowed hard, he wanted to follow, but he just narrowly avoided getting killed by Dodoria already. And he’d have absolutely no chance against anyone if he did try. His tail flicked in annoyance, and the hairs stood up. He expected the woman to run off as well, but she stayed, staring him down.

“Usually I’d cheer a brother on, but it’d be a bit disrespectful when it has to do with a friend,” She spoke, walking up to Raditz. She was a head shorter than he was, but he still found himself backing away.

“Please don’t hit me,” Raditz said, attempting to stand straight. She wasn’t very intimidated by his height.

“Nah,” She said, grinning a little, he flinched as she raised a hand, but instead she just placed it on her shoulder. “I definitely gotta cheer you on,” She finished. 

“Wh-what the hell are you talking about?” He asked, looking nervously at the hand on his shoulder. He’d be lying if he said he was still shaken up from Dodoria. And everyone on that planet knew who this woman was.

Commander Celerah, the one who’s soldiers either never returned, or had been changed entirely. It was rumored that they'd even been killed by her hand. She was the punishment to especially horrible soldiers. 

Raditz had seen only one soldier be sent to her by Nappa. A soldier who was so absolutely disgusting he'd tried to go after a child. His body ended up being found, barely even able to be called a person anymore. Nobody took credit for it, but everyone agreed that he'd deserved it anyway.

“You're definitely Bonbon’s type,” She said, a smirk spreading across her face. Raditz frowned, looking down at her with a frown on his face. 

“What?” He exclaimed, raising a brow. He frowned, crossing his arms as he watched her circle him. “I don't know what you're talking about!” 

Raditz was a very bad liar, his ears would always go bright red and he'd shuffle a bit in place. Last time he'd been caught by Vegeta, who accused him of sneaking off to the bar. He tried to deny it, but the red ears gave him away as quick as possible. 

And it just so happened that his ears were ruby red, and his feet wouldn't stay still. His tail was wound so tightly around his waist that he was squeezing at his gut. 

“Don't lie hairball, I know you've got the pretty boy crushing on ya!” She laughed, stopping in front of him. Raditz gulped, eyes widening. 

“Wait, is that why Frieza has Zarbon with him?!” He exclaimed. He started to try and walk down the hall, but she easily kept him in one spot.

“Probably, if Frieza finds out that you helped Zarbon out a few times, he probably won't be all that happy!” She said, rolling her eyes. 

“Dammit!” Raditz growled. “Now I'm gonna end up dying all because I wanted to move up a rank,” He fell to his knees, holding his face in his hands. 

“Not just you pal, Zarbon was trying to keep this secret.” She said, starting to walk away. 

“And Frieza hates secrets…” Raditz mumbled, listening to the sounds of her boots as she walked off.


	16. Shower

“It’s bad enough that I’m being sent out like this,” Zarbon mumbled, sitting on his bed with his face in his hands. He looked down at his holopad which sat in his lap, reading over the orders again. 

“But this mission is fit for a regular foot soldier!” He turned the thing off, tossing it down on his bed as he stood up. He had merely a few days until he’d be hurtled through space, accompanied by the one who’d gotten him into that huge mess anyway!

He hated that it was still so very hard to be angry at raditz, that his heart would race at the very thought of him. He knew rather well now, that Raditz had just been trying to up himself in the rankings. Celerah was his informant of that.

And yet there he was, once again having that damned saiyan on his mind. He gritted his teeth, mumbling to himself that he didn't care for Raditz, that he hated him! 

But he never could make that a truth. Even if it was for his own selfish reasons, He helped Zarbon. He saved his life, and his dignity back in that bar. He had the moral capacity to not take advantage of Zarbon in his drunken state, to simply help him instead.

Even if it were to raise in the ranks, Zarbon could still be thankful. But thankfulness wasn’t enough to save the two from being sent to some bullshit planet with some bullshit security. To get information for fucks sake! To serve along with the same information leeches that got them in trouble in the first place.

If it weren’t for Gurepu needing to stay alive, zarbon would have snapped his neck without a second thought! And now he was being trapped on some planet for six months with the little leech, sharing a cramped room with Raditz.

He at least didn’t smell awful like Nappa, or have the arrogance of Vegeta. He wasn’t the worst man to be stuck in a room with, and besides, it wasn’t like they were sharing a bed. 

Unfortunately… Zarbon probably wouldn’t have any complaints if he were to have the muscular Saiyan pressed against his back… No!

Zarbon cursed himself as he found himself pouting over it. And pinched himself to knock the thought of sharing a bed with the Saiyan out of his mind.

“I need a shower,” he groaned, and opened the door to his private bathroom. He’d only have his own for a little while longer, so he needed to take advantage of it. 

 

He stripped off his clothing, mumbling under his breath as he started the hot water. He stepped into the hot stream, closing his eyes as the water pelted his body and relaxed his sore muscles. He took a deep breath, sighing as he turned to let the water hit his back. His hands pressed against the tile shower wall, and water dripped from his hair as he looked at the white tile.

“Why…?” He found himself asking nobody in particular. He grabbed the soap, rubbing it on his body as he felt tears prick at his eyes. No, he wouldn’t cry… He was strong. He blinked the tears away, rubbing at his skin until he was covered with a soapy foam. 

He turned to let his chest get wet again, and rinsed the suds away. They swirled down the drain, almost like how his own pride did as soon as he kneeled down in front of Frieza. He almost felt the hand tugging at his hair, hearing again Frieza’s hissing voice as he told him horrible possibilities. 

This mission wasn’t going to be the only punishment… Zarbon knew that full well. He was honestly surprised the tyrant hadn’t just decided to kill Raditz, be rid of the source of his problem. Zarbon let out what he thought was a laugh, but instead he realized when hot tears spilled down his cheeks, it was a sob. 

It wasn’t fair. All Zarbon had done was nearly die, and Raditz just happened to pass by him. He grabbed the shampoo, swallowing a sob as he got some of it onto his hand, rubbing it into his hair. He stood there, rubbing and running his hands through his hair as the water beat down on him. It was too hot, but he didn’t notice. 

Dodoria had been right… But Zarbon had been too much of a lovestruck fool to even notice. He’d been made so stubborn by that stupid crush that he couldn’t even notice what was right in front of his face! And now where was he? About to be shoved into some filthy colony light years away all because Raditz wanted to raise in the goddamn ranks by cheating. 

When Zarbon pulled his hands out of his hair, he saw that he’d pulled several strands out. He let his hair rinse, and let himself cry now. 

He found it a lot easier to be angry at Raditz now.


	17. Regret

Just when Raditz had thought nothing could get any worse, it did. The impish little info leech had made sure that Nappa and Vegeta had found out about everything. He wanted to wring that little bastard’s neck, choke him until his purple face would turn a dark blue and his larynx was crushed under his hands. 

Hadn’t he made things difficult enough? How bad was his personal hatred for Zarbon that he felt the need to completely destroy their lives? To risk getting them both killed just because he was jealous of Zarbon’s high class and closeness with the other elites.

But he couldn’t, as another small and horribly annoying creature was bitching at him right then, throwing a tantrum over how Raditz was helping the enemy and being nothing but a dumbass who was going to destroy the saiyan race. As if there was even enough to destroy in the first place.

Raditz wasn’t all that irritated over the pettiness of the mission, used to such small tasks. However he was afraid to be stuck sharing a room with Zarbon, and could only pray he wasn’t upset over how Raditz had so selfishly fucked him over.

“-Are you even listening to me?!” Vegeta roared, smacking Raditz on the side of the head to get him to listen. Raditz grunted, and glared up at the Saiyan. He switched his holopad off, and placed it down next to him.

“Yeah I’m listening,” He grumbled, tail flicking in annoyance as Vegeta went on another of his rants. Nappa simply stood, quiet as he looked over at raditz with a sorry expression. Raditz scoffed, knowing full well his pity was useless. What would he gain from pity? 

What did Zarbon gain from pity? Nothing. Nothing but a punishment for something he hadn’t done. Saiyan’s rarely felt remorse, but it seemed Raditz did. He’d seen Zarbon after his confrontation with Frieza, bruised and in severe distress. 

He’d pitied him a third time then, but did nothing. He simply walked away, saying nothing. His heart ached when he’d walked away, every fiber in his being telling him to at least go and comfort him. But against that, he walked away. To his room. 

He’d made that man fall in love with him, and instead of stopping it there he had just used it. He used those feelings and now he was facing the consequences. No matter how unfair they were. 

“You stupid idiot! You’ve embarrassed us all just because you wanted to get a little extra!” Vegeta bleated out, stamping his feet as he threw his tantrum. Thankfully, he stamped his feet right out of the room.

But Raditz now wished he was yelling in there still, because the silence was too awkward to bear. He looked over at Nappa, who seemed to have a lot to say, but didn’t say anything, as if he couldn’t find the words to say. 

They maintained eye contact for a short moment, frowns on both their faces as they simply sat in silence. The disappointment was obvious though, Raditz could just sense it. He was getting that same look Bardock would give.  
“Why did you help him? I don’t believe that little gremlin,” Nappa finally asked, after several minutes. Raditz sighed, and held his face in his hands.

“I wanted to get higher in the ranks. Thought helping him out would get him a lot less hard on me.” He answered, voice breaking a little.

“Well, that didn’t work out for you, did it?” Nappa asked, crossing his arms over his chest. 

Raditz knew full well what he did, and knew how stupid it was. He didn’t need other people telling him what he already knew. He stood, grabbing his holopad and scouter. It was time to get to the pods anyway, to see Zarbon.

Oh gods, he was going to have to deal with Zarbon. He surely had to be angry, he wouldn’t blame him if he was. For once his pride was small enough so that he actually felt guilt. 

A hand clasped over his shoulder, and he gasped and winced a moment. He looked back, looking Nappa in the eye. 

“Just be careful, okay? Zarbon is… Dangerous,” 

“Yeah I know,”


	18. Anger

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A really short chapter, sorry. But I felt it would be better at a shorter length.

It was then that Raditz was reminded of just how strong Zarbon really was. Before the saiyan could so much as open his mouth to speak, the palm of Zarbon’s hand made a loud clap against Raditz’s cheek, and the long nails followed as they left four scratches against that same cheek. Raditz found himself falling right on his ass, surprised he even still had his teeth on that side of his face. His face stung, burning from both the scratches and the palm against his cheek.

It wasn’t the slap that really scared Raditz, but rather the fact he knew Zarbon was holding an inane amount of power back in that hit. For Zarbon that was probably just a little petty smack, and yet he sent all nearly three hundred pounds of Saiyan tumbling back onto the floor. 

The room was silent, except for the sounds of the machinery and the pods. Raditz looked up, swallowing nervously as Zarbon’s hand fell back at his side. He expected Zarbon to yell, or hit him again. But, nothing happened. Zarbon simply stayed silent, walking over to his pod as he bothered with the door. 

“Hey,” Raditz stood, his voice sounding a bit more rough than he’d meant it to. He walked over to Zarbon, reaching towards his shoulder. 

“Get in your pod,” Zarbon spoke firmly, though his voice broke a bit. Raditz frowned, and placed a hand on Zarbon’s shoulder. He rarely saw Zarbon show any bit of emotion, other than the time he was drunk and crying, or when he was with Dodoria that one time. This was neither of those times.

“Zarbon come on just talk to me-” He said, he pulled his hand away from Zarbon when the other let out a low growl, a warning.

“I said. Get in your pod,” Zarbon said to him. He turned his head back towards Raditz, eyes red. He’d definitely been crying before. “That’s an order ape! Go!” 

Raditz winced a little when Zarbon had raised his voice, and backed away. 

It was best not to test Zarbon right now.


	19. Freezing

Zarbon shivered as soon as the pods hit the docking bay, flinging snow in all directions. For a few silent moments, he did nothing but sit in his pod. He looked out the window, letting out a huff of air. Already, his breath was turning into little puffs. He was just glad they’d landed at base, able to head in for warmth as soon as they got there. He watched the snow fall outside, and could hardly see Raditz outside. 

The mission report had said nothing about the kind of planet they would be on, only what it’s coordinates would be. Frieza knew full well of Zarbon’s cold blood, and of his native home. He was a species indigenous to a swampy rainforest. Other’s would probably complain about the mud and humidity, but Zarbon was more than glad to have lived in such paradise. 

“-It’s fuckin freezing, what the hell?” Raditz’s voice complained. Zarbon’s pod door opened, and the freezing air hit him as if it were some piano comically falling onto the cartoon’s head. Sudden, harsh, and dear god it was horrible. Zarbon slowly stood, the freezing air attacking his exposed thighs and, well, almost everything. 

“Nobody told us about the snow,” Zarbon mumbled. Raditz was lucky, that Zarbon’s rage with Frieza exceeded his anger at the Saiyan by a landslide. All the reptilian man wanted was to get inside, and get warm. 

“Take this,” A female voice spoke, accent heavy with french. Zarbon opened his eyes, being welcomed by a rather ugly coat. It looked warm, and the woman offering it to him was wearing one too. Zarbon gladly took it, almost letting out a sound as some of his body was shielded by the horrible cold.

“What the hell’s up with the blizzard?” Raditz had to yell, to be heard over the ludicrously strong winds, which howled louder than the beasts of planet Brench themselves. The woman laughed, barely able to be heard as she motioned for the two to follow. They did, as she was leading them both inside. 

“This is planet Glace, coldest planet in this solar system,” The woman said, grinning as she opened the door to the colony. They hurried in, before they ended up freezing their uncovered legs off. They were greeted with heating, and both sighed in relief as the snow now longer tired to freeze them to death.

Frieza hadn’t been done with his punishment before, it was obvious now. The below freezing temperatures were more than dangerous for Zarbon. They could be fatal. Raditz would only survive an hour or so out in that cold without the proper protection. Zarbon would be lucky if he didn’t freeze to death after just ten minutes out in that snow.

If a beating and temporary demotion weren’t bad enough, things just got far far worse. And things didn’t seem like they were going to get any better. 

“I take it that Frieza forgot to tell the two of you when he’d sent you out here?” The woman asked, looking at their lack of clothing. She grinned, watching them both shiver, rubbing their bodies to try and return warmth to themselves.

“He only gave us the coordinates and the orders,” Zarbon spoke, surprisingly firm. But then again, he was the highest class soldier in that army. One would have to be able to maintain a calm demeanor. Even if it was a horrible situation he was in. 

“Can we just get to our room?” Raditz impatiently blurted. He managed to hide the fact that he was nervous. And Zarbon’s cold glare didn’t really help his cause once. 

That glare was colder than the planet, causing Raditz to freeze up, and remember how much that slap had hurt. 

“I was going to get to that, and tell you that the uniforms you’ll be wearing here will be on your beds,” The woman said, sighing softly as she turned around. “There are maps on your holopads, so I won’t bother giving you two a tour,” 

Zarbon was about to object, but instead kept his mouth shut. He had to remember, he wasn’t the one in charge on that planet. All he was for the next few months was an information thief, some unlucky bastard who would be stuck trekking through the blizzard to find the radio towers, and hopefully not freeze to death.

Raditz was quiet as they were led to their room, and the woman scoffed as she left. Zarbon scanned his hand over the keypad, sighing as the door opened to show a cramped room. 

“Hey, at least we have separate beds,” Raditz laughed quietly, though it was obvious he was just as unhappy about this as Zarbon was. 

“Yeah…”


	20. Huddle for Warmth

“Raditz I swear if you look over here-” Zarbon had started, obviously glaring at the Saiyan. Raditz rolled his eyes, hearing the rustling of fabric as Zarbon changed. 

“I’ve literally seen you in the tank, it’s not like I don’t know what you’ve got,” Raditz said, keeping his back turned to the other male. Zarbon let out a little huff of a sound, mumbling something under his breath. 

“Hey, quit complaining. And besides, it’s not like you wear all that much anyway! With how you prance around dressed like a skank,” 

“I wear more than you do!” Zarbon’s voice cracked a little, something that seemed to happen when Zarbon would raise his volume.

Raditz scoffed, Turning his head. “Yeah, as if those stockings even count. That just makes it even more… sexy,”

Raditz felt a pillow smack into his face, and heard Zarbon speak, but didn’t entirely listen to what he said. He moved the pillow from his face, and saw that Zarbon’s face was bright teal, the man mumbling under his breath about something. 

He had his shirt on, but seemed to be having trouble with getting the pants buttoned. 

“Ass too big?” Raditz snorted, and was a bit surprised to get an embarrassed nod in return. With a quick glance, he could tell Zarbon definitely focused on squats and leg strength. 

“This is why I hate wearing pants… I can never get them to fit,” The man whined, huffing as he dramatically let himself land on his bed, obviously pouting. 

“Could be worse, we could be on some desert planet and have to share a rock to sleep on,” Raditz joked, and grinned when Zarbon let out a rather ungraceful snort.

“Don’t let Frieza hear you saying that, otherwise he’ll get ideas,” Zarbon said, rolling over onto his stomach. Golden eyes seemed to shyly look up at Raditz, his face buried in his arms. Raditz glanced away a second. Zarbon seemed almost… cute like that. 

There were a few moments of silence before Raditz slowly spoke up. 

“Do you… Have problems with the cold?” He asked, looking back at Zarbon. The golden eyes hid away, and Zarbon seemed to hesitate to answer.

“Yes…” 

“How bad?”  
“Well… For starters I’m cold blooded, so my body temperature drops pretty fast even in just chilly weather,” Zarbon said, sitting up. He stretched, shirt moving up to show a toned stomach. Raditz had to shove away a few weird thoughts.

“And it slows me down, a lot…”

“Is that why your power level dropped once we got here?” Raditz asked, quietly poking his scouter. Zarbon swallowed, glancing away.

“Yes…” 

“Then it definitely ain’t coincidence that Frieza sent ya here,” Raditz stood up, stepping over to Zarbon’s bed. The other squeaked softly as the bed creaked, but Raditz pretended to not notice. He noticed the other was shivering a little, the heating in the room slowly dropping. 

Some bastard in the power room seemed to have figured out which room Zarbon was in, and took the opportunity to fuck with him. Raditz just happened to be the sorry one who was stuck in the middle.

“What are you-?” Zarbon started, and his eyes widened as Raditz drew closer. He gulped as he felt arms suddenly around him, and his cheeks went teal as he felt himself pushed back against the bed. Raditz was very warm…

“You’re shivering, bastard dropped the heat again,” Raditz replied. It was half the truth… For some reason, he’d probably have done it otherwise. Raditz ignored how his heart raced a little when he felt the other man in his arms. The other slowly relaxed.

“Oh… Thank you?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> owo whats this? raditz starting to catch feelings for the pretty crocco?


	21. Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Misgendering and stuff, also Gurepu is a fucking asshole.

“B-bastards…” Zarbon’s teeth were chattering, the snow howling loud through the window. Even inside, he was absolutely freezing. While it was nice of Raditz to help him warm up, Zarbon felt a little too warm, if one would catch the drift.

Either the other would feign cluelessness, or was just legit clueless. Zarbon didn’t care, he still shamed himself for letting it happen. 

“You should wear the coat, before you freeze to death,” Raditz said, sticking close to Zarbon as they headed towards the cafeteria of the colony. Zarbon shook his head.

“Th-They’re hideous… And itchy,” He stubbornly said, crossing his shivering arms. He glared over at Raditz, who seemed fine without his coat. Which he simply held. Probably in case Zarbon needed a coat, But Raditz wouldn’t admit that.

They seemed to be almost friends, after spending at least a month already being cramped up in one room, seemingly only leaving to eat or go be taught how to collect information from the colonies radio towers. They hadn’t been sent out yet, thankfully. But next week, they would be shoved out into the snow to fend for themselves. 

“Just wear it,” Raditz huffed, placing the warm coat over Zarbon’s shoulders. They seemed to wear almost the same size of clothing, except for pants. Zarbon’s hips and rear seemed to call for larger sizes. Which even then, still fit awkwardly. 

Zarbon would have thrown it off, but the warmth was too good now. He sighed, and gave in as he pulled his arms through the sleeves. 

“...Thanks,” he mumbled, pouting a little. Raditz felt his cheeks heat a little, and awkwardly glanced away. Why did he keep getting red faced around the other man? Why did he find him so goddamn cute? His face was usually so stern, but it seemed all Raditz was seeing now were little pouts or shy smiles. shit.

“Aww how cute, the monkey and his little slut are sharing coats,” A little voice sneered, and Raditz stopped in his tracks, that sniveling voice snapping him right out of his thoughts. Zarbon noticed, and stopped too. 

That little bastard that had sold them out stood right in front of them, running a hand through his puffy powder blue hair. 

“Gurepu just go away,” Zarbon sighed, seeming to be hiding his face in the puff of warm fur that was on the hood. The little man simply smirked, bright pink eyes looking over at how Zarbon’s pants awkwardly fit. Raditz stepped closer to Zarbon, almost protectively. 

“Yeah, fuck off alright? You already bothered us enough by snitching!” Raditz growled.  
“Oooh,” Gurepu grinned, looking at his holopad. “So you two really are in the same room?” He stepped over confidently, knowing full well they’d get in much worse trouble if they were to attack him.

“Let me guess, Zarbon’s the one getting fucked?” He sneered. Zarbon’s eyes widened for a moment, and his face flushed. 

“What?! Why would you even-” 

“Well it’s pretty obvious, since you’re the woman walking around pretending to be a man!” The little man, shouted, loud enough for everyone in the hall to hear. He pointed a gloved finger at Zarbon, whose eyes were wide with shock, and now glazing over.

“I’m not… I’m not pretending…” His voice was quiet, and he looked down at the ground. Gurepu laughed. 

“Look at you! You can’t even wear the male clothing here, quit lying to yourself!” Gurepu seemed very amused by how much he was upsetting the other. Raditz, however, was very far from amused. 

“You be quiet you little runt!” Raditz growled, stepping forwards up to Gurepu. The little man stopped talking, and shuffled a little. He was a coward at heart.

“Or what? You’ll punch me for your little girlfriend? Because she cried?” He put extra emphasis on feminine pronouns, knowing very well each of them were like a stab at Zarbon; who Gurepu had effectively brought to tears by now. 

“I said shut up!” Raditz snarled, grabbing Gurepu by the collar of his shirt. Gurepu gulped, realizing that he was suddenly in danger.

Raditz didn’t care anymore about getting himself into more trouble, but then… He heard a tiny little sob, one that was obviously being held back. He dropped Gurepu, well, more so threw him down on the ground. He stepped over to Zarbon, and slowly wrapped an arm around his shoulder. 

“...Hey, please don’t cry… He’s not important.. Come on,” He now ignored Gurepu, and just wanted Zarbon to stop crying.

Okay, so maybe he’d gone soft. Whatever, he didn’t even care about his image anymore.


	22. Growing Tension

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhh lil warning, mentions of a dude peeing??? Idk. Also it get's borderline sexual lol.

Zarbon couldn’t sleep. Even covered in the thick blankets, he was still shivering. His body was sore from how much it was shaking. His teeth chattered, and he pulled the blankets tighter around himself. He opened his eyes, looking at the vapor of his breath. This was cruelty, just pure torture. 

“F-Frieza just doesn’t give up,” He mumbled to himself, voice shaking as he spoke. The wind outside howled loud, the window being pelted with ice. Zarbon turned away from the window, bed groaning as he rolled onto his side, facing Raditz. 

The Saiyan didn’t really snore at least, but he was still pretty loud. The bed creaked with his movements, and he’d occasionally grunt in his sleep. Zarbon sighed, looking at the rugged man’s face. God, he was handsome as hell. He was probably dreaming about fighting, it wouldn’t surprise Zarbon if he was. 

Zarbon groaned, his bladder finally deciding to make it’s need to be emptied known. He didn’t want to get out from under his blankets, but he also couldn’t really hold it. 

“Damnit…” He mumbled, and hesitated as he pulled the blankets off him. He nearly cried out as the cold assaulted him, and he regretted not wearing pants to bed. But the last time he had, he’d torn his pants. So it didn’t make much a difference in the end. 

His bare feet hit the ground, and Zarbon was so glad the room had carpets instead of the metal flooring the rooms on planet Gnat had. However, he pulled on his thigh high socks anyway. The bathroom had tiles. Zarbon tried to move quickly, and walked into the bathroom. 

He looked at the toilet, and cringed a little. He remembered what Gurepu had said earlier… He knew it was all bullshit, but he still felt pretty hurt about it. He pulled down his undergarments, and hesitantly sat down. 

Dear god was the toilet cold. Zarbon cursed, and tried not to just cry from how cold it was. He wished he could just stand to piss, so he wouldn’t have to sit down on those nasty porcelain thrones of grossness nearly as much. 

“Real men have to feel this cold ass thing,” Zarbon mumbled to himself, amusing himself by imagining Gurepu having to sit down on the freezing seat. He was more a man than that little bastard anyway. That little goblin of a man would never understand any legitimate pain! He was just a coward who hid behind his title. Frieza only kept him around because he had good information. 

Zarbon finished up, the toilet thankfully quiet. Back to his bed he went, shivering in the cold as he squirmed back under his blankets. He turned back to the window, closing his eyes as he sighed. He’d fall asleep eventually. 

The creak of Raditz’s bed couldn’t be heard over the wind outside. The Saiyan sat up yawning. He looked over at the other bed, and frowned when he saw Zarbon laying there. He could tell the other was shaking, probably freezing. What if he froze to death?

Raditz slowly stood, adjusting the sweatpants he wore. He heard Zarbon gasp when he sat down on the other’s bed. Zarbon let out a soft sound, and Raditz couldn’t really see his face in the dark all that well.

“They turned the heat down a lot, huh?” He asked dumbly. The answer was obvious. Zarbon slowly nodded, not saying anything when Raditz slid down under the covers with him. Raditz slowly looped his arms around Zarbon’s waist, and pulled him over to his warm body. Raditz felt himself shiver for a completely different reason than the other man, realizing he was spooning him from behind.

Zarbon let out a little gasp when strong arms pulled him to Raditz’s warm body. He didn’t argue though, as the warmth was amazing. His face heated up, and he tried to adjust himself in a way that was more comfortable. 

“Z-! Quit movin-” Raditz tensed up feeling the other rub up against him. His tail puffed up, and he gritted his teeth. Zarbon froze, and swallowed.

“Oh… I… I’m sorry,” His voice was tiny, a bit meek as he felt something poke him. 

“Don’t apologize- just, quit squirmin' around or you’ll make it worse,” Raditz growled, holding him a little tighter without noticing. Zarbon closed his eyes, and dared to squirm a little more out of stubborn spite.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will probably contain smut, who knows.


	23. Tensions Broken

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HHHHOOOOOO BOY YA'LL. After 22 chapters of waiting, finally, the smut!!! With 1811 words! 
> 
> Just in case it wasn't clear, this chapter contains a fuck ton of smut. And if a trans ftm man having sex makes you uncomfortable for whatever reason, you can go ahead and not read this, it's not all that important to the plot to read it all. uwu.

Zarbon wasn’t entirely sure what he had been expecting when he’d made such a daring move. But he also wasn’t surprised when Raditz’s breath hitched, and the Saiyan’s arms wrapped only tighter around him. However, what had surprised him, was when he had pressed back against the other, was to feel something… Big. 

It seemed that stereotype about men with big hands was true. 

“Zarbon I swear to god…” Raditz’s voice was low, a bit of a growl. Zarbon felt a shiver run up his spine, and was feeling rather heated up at that moment. It seemed those thoughts that constantly plagued him about that Saiyan were about to finally come true, and he wasn’t entirely sure how he felt about it.

“What?” Zarbon asked, feigning innocence. He gave his hips another little wiggle, a mischievous glint in his eye. Raditz let out a huff, and his arms unraveled from Zarbon’s waist. His hands were rough, gripping Zarbon’s hips. He could tell he wasn’t wearing any pants now.

“Two could play at that game…” Raditz thought to himself, rolling his own hips forward. That month of being cramped up in that room with Zarbon, the occasional glances the two would give one another while they’d change, it formed an immeasurable amount of tension, and it seemed at that moment it grew too immense. 

Zarbon let out a soft little gasp as the hands on his hips, and smiled a little at the feeling of Raditz rolling his hips against his behind. He laid a hand over Raditz’s, closing his eyes as the room filled up with a pleasant pheromone filled scent. 

Raditz let out a dominant growl as his nostrils caught that scent. He sat up as he reached over, turning the bedside light on so he could get a better sight of what they were doing. Upon moving the blanket out of the way, it seemed the view of what Zarbon was wearing raised his manhood all the way, pressing uncomfortably against the fabric of his sweat pants. 

Zarbon licked his lips at the sight, and rolled onto his side, reaching forward to rub at that erection through the fabric. Even through the fabric of the pants, Zarbon could tell the saiyan was well endowed. Raditz let out an irritated and breathy groan, and looked down at Zarbon. That astonished look on the pretty man’s face was so damn cute, and all Raditz wanted to do was ravage those plump lips.

“Fucking tease…” Raditz grunted. He reached down to pull off those sweatpants, and his eyes widened when Zarbon caught his wrist before he could even reach it. The Saiyan’s tail flicked in annoyance, and he glared down at Zarbon.

Zarbon laid there on the bed, golden eyes looking up at him. The corners of his mouth curled upwards in amusement, and Raditz shivered a little. Those cute puppy eyes and shy smile were gone, replaced by a mischievous look.   
“Be patient Raditz~” Zarbon’s voice was a low purr, and he let go of Raditz’s wrist. The Saiyan huffed, and crossed his arms. 

“Look who suddenly wants to be in control, this is new,” Raditz smirked a little. It was unexpected for Zarbon to act this way, but not unwelcome. It was rather hot actually. But also annoying, because Zarbon’s hand was moving so slow, and those pants were getting uncomfortable pressed against his throbbing flesh.

“I haven’t even started,” Zarbon said, bringing out a loud groan from the other male as he gave a gentle squeeze through the fabric. He grew a little impatient as well, and received a breathy thank you as he removed that girth from the fabric prison. 

He gasped quietly, not quite expecting it to be so large. Raditz gritted his teeth, the fur on his tail sticking up. 

“Damnit Z-” He hissed through his teeth, onyx eyes glaring down at the man beneath him. Zarbon’s feather light touches were like torture, and Raditz couldn’t take it. He only received a little wink in return. 

“Patience~” Zarbon mewled, wrapping his hand around the throbbing cock. It was uncut, emerging from a bush of black curls. It was thick and hot, swollen with the Saiyan’s arousal. Zarbon rubbed his thumb along the wet slit, smiling as precum dripped out. 

“Zarbon I swear to god if you don’t hurry up I’ll fuck you-!” Raditz had started, his sentence interrupted by a rather unflattering moan as he felt Zarbon’s tongue lap up the precum, and his lips wrap around the red tip of his prick.

Zarbon welcomed the salty taste, and quickly swallowed Raditz’s engorged prick down. Raditz couldn’t help but tangle his hand into Zarbon’s soft hair, a guttural moan of pleasure escaping his lips. Zarbon’s hot and wet throat felt amazing around his cock.

Zarbon nearly choked as Raditz bucked his hips forward, and closed his eyes. He was reminded that it had been a long time since he’d actually done this, and had to hold Raditz’s hips still. He slowly started to move his head, tongue rolling along the other man’s member. 

He was a bit too big to suck, and Zarbon knew his jaw was going to be sore after. Raditz gripped his hair tight, and he winced a little as a few strands came out. He tried to breath through his nose, but it wasn’t entirely working. 

“Shit- Zarbon… Fuck baby~” Raditz panted out, looking down at Zarbon. “Damn you’re great at this,” He praised, biting his lip. Zarbon let out a happy little sound at the praise, pulling back. 

He needed to breath, and he could tell Raditz was a little disappointed when he removed his mouth from his prick. He coughed a little, wiping his mouth. His throat was sore from that, and he cursed himself for not having tried to prepare himself before trying to take the whole thing. 

He could feel himself growing hotter and hotter by the second now, the wetness of his underwear now evidence enough to show he was just as aroused by this as the other man. Raditz smirked down at Zarbon, about to make some comment. He found himself frozen as the other man slid off those underwear, and place them aside. 

“I need it.” Zarbon said firmly, pushing Raditz’s back down against the bed. Raditz looked up at the male, who straddled his waist now. 

Zarbon’s heart was beating faster, and he could feel his clit absolutely pounding with arousal. He bit his lip, reaching down to rub at that sensitive bundle of nerves. He moved himself enough to line the tip of Raditz’s slickened cock with his own wet pussy. 

“Then take it~” Raditz growled out, gripping Zarbon’s ass tightly as he bucked his hips up without warning. Zarbon cried out, back arching as the Saiyan shoved in with only one thrust. He whimpered at the hands squeezing his rump tightly, loving how hard they gripped him.

“Oh shit!” Zarbon gasped out, gripping Raditz’s shoulders. Raditz panted, looking up at him. 

“S-Sorry,” he said, not moving again. “You alright?” He asked. Zarbon nodded, and was very much okay. Because when Raditz had done that, he’s hit the spot that made Zarbon see stars.

“I’m fine… Do it again,” Zarbon practically ordered, and Raditz was more than happy to oblige. He lifted Zarbon up on his cock, bringing him right back down and hard. 

Zarbon closed his eyes, pleasure shooting up through his body as his pussy clenched around Raditz’s massive cock. He gripped the other’s shoulders hard, rolling his own hips hard against the other’s thrusts. 

“You’re so big! Fuck Radiz-! Oh shit~!” Zarbon gasped out, in a mix of his own language and the universal. Raditz moaned loud, barely able to handle how Zarbon moved on his cock. The other man was so tight around his cock, and looked so damn amazing riding it. 

“You’re so damn handsome Zarbon- Fuck, you feel so good!” Raditz groaned out, not even needing to thrust anymore. Zarbon lifted and lowered himself amazingly, rolling his hips hard down against the other. He could feel his heartbeat in his soaking wet cunt, whining out at the praise. Raditz smirked as he realized just how much the praise was affecting Zarbon, and pulled him down to kiss him lovingly yet quickly on the lips. He kissed at his neck, sucking hard on the sensitive freckled skin.

“You’re such a handsome man Zarbon~ so goddamn strong~!” He purred out into Zarbon’s ear, wrapping his arms around the other man as Zarbon arched against him. 

“R-Raditz oh my god~! I love it!” Zarbon was practically sobbing in pleasure. Raditz rolled them over so that Zarbon’s back was against the mattress, and let his strong legs wrap around his waist. He could feel the muscle of those long legs, feel the muscle of Zarbon’s chest as he pressed close to him.

Raditz moved his hips hard, stuffing Zarbon’s amazing cunt with his cock. He had the other man screaming, begging for more under him. It felt absolutely amazing. All Raditz could think about at that moment was Zarbon, his heart racing as Zarbon’s arms wrapped around him, holding him close. 

Zarbon felt like he was melting in Raditz’s arms, sweat covering his body as the other so mercilessly pounded into his tender spot. His eyes rolled back, and his body tensed up. 

“Raditz! Oh my god I’m going to-! Oh fuck~!” He screamed out in pleasure, hips rolling upwards in desperation as his orgasm gripped him tightly. He gripped at the Saiyan’s wild hair, his legs holding him there as he could do nothing but shake and sob in pleasure.

“Cum for me~ Fuck Zarbon, you’re so goddamn sexy~” Raditz’s voice was low, growling out in pleasure between his own loud moans. He bit down on Zarbon’s neck, hips moving as hard as they could. His balls tightened, and he could feel himself nearing his climax as well.

Fluids gushed out from Zarbon’s urethra, the reptilian man’s body shaking violently as he squirted hard, the scream he let out would leave his throat sore for days, and he knew full well he’d be walking funny for the next week. He didn’t care, because this just felt so damn good. 

Raditz managed to pull out just in time, his hot seed coming out in ropes of thick white, splattering all over Zarbon’s stomach and chest. He let out a loud yell, the orgasm amazing. 

And then, then came the exhaustion. Raditz panted loud, rolling over onto his back, next to Zarbon. He kept his eyes closed, heart pounding. For several minutes, the only sound was both of their harsh breathing. The bed was drenched in both sweat and Zarbon’s fluids. 

Finally, after many minutes, Zarbon spoke, voice shaking and breathy.

“Oh my god… That… that was amazing…” 

“Yeah… Yeah it was,”


	24. Morning Talk

That next morning, Zarbon was nothing but sore. His throat was sore, his jaw was sore, and worst of all, it hurt to sit down, or walk, or do anything really. But he still forced himself to shower, wincing with each movement. 

“You could have been more gentle,” Zarbon huffed, drying himself off with a towel as he looked over at Raditz. The Saiyan merely shrugged, a shit eating grin on his face.

“Hey, I thought you could take it,” He replied, sitting on his bed. Zarbon frowned, and pointed at his neck. Raditz had left several marks, ones that would be difficult to hide. 

“And what about these?” Zarbon huffed, a pout on his face as he put his towel down. Raditz merely shrugged once again, and stood up.

“Nobody here will question ya if you wear a turtleneck, it is below freezing.” Raditz said, stepping close to Zarbon. Zarbon blushed, shyly looking away as he grabbed a clean set of his underwear, pulling them on. Raditz grinned, and put his hands on Zarbon’s hips. He tried to kiss him, but Zarbon turned his head away.

“Raditz…” He started, but never finished. His face was bright teal, and he let out a little sigh. As happy as he was to have finally been bedded by the other Saiyan, he still wondered if it had actually meant anything. 

“What?” Raditz asked, voice surprisingly soft. He cupped Zarbon’s cheek, gently turning his head to look him down in the golden eyes. Zarbon looked up at him, resting his head in Raditz’s hand. He… Liked the Saiyan’s gentle touch. 

“Did… Did last night actually mean anything? Did you… Mean any of what you said to me?” Zarbon asked it after several moments of silence, and didn’t expect what he’d heard.

“Do you remember that time you were completely wasted?”

“What? No… I was drunk Raditz,”

Raditz laughed a little, and pulled Zarbon close to him. He smiled as Zarbon blushed, shyly relaxing in the Saiyan’s grasp. He was always so tense when people would touch him, so it upped Raditz’s pride a little to see the other almost comfortable being in his embrace.

“Well, basically ya cried about how much you loved me,” Raditz snorted, and got a scowl in return. Though the glare was much less angry, and more just annoyed.

“I was drunk…” Zarbon mumbled, crossing his arms over his bare chest with a little huff. “And I recall being stressed out because of you, ass.” He added. Raditz laughed a little, glancing away for a short moment. 

“Okay bad example,” Raditz mumbled, before he looked back down at Zarbon, who very clearly didn’t really see where this was going. He sighed, and sat back down on the bed, pulling Zarbon down onto his lap. The other squeaked in surprise at that, something adorable Zarbon seemed to do pretty often.

“I mean… I’m trying to say-” He coughed, unsure of how to word this. God, if Vegeta saw him now he’d probably have an anger related aneurysm. He could almost laugh at the thought of how angry the little Saiyan would be if he saw him holding Zarbon like he was now. “-I think I like you, like… in the same way,” he managed out, his own cheeks flushing. 

Zarbon’s eyes were wide for a second, and he took a few moments to comprehend what Raditz was saying. But once he did, he found himself pressing his lips hard against the other, accidentally pushing him down onto the bed.

Raditz was surprised when Zarbon had pressed his lips against his, and even more so when he fell back, the other on top of him. He opened his eyes, looking up at Zarbon. Both of their faces were hot with blushing. 

“I-I… Sorry,” Zarbon said softly, glancing away. Raditz simply shrugged, and pulled Zarbon back down for another kiss. This time, they stayed connected for several minutes, before pulling away and gulping down air. 

“Oh god I love you,” Raditz said, sitting up. Zarbon nodded, cuddling against him. 

“Likewise…”


	25. Bribery

Even despite the circumstances, Zarbon was clearly in a much better mood. Raditz admired it. Especially seeing how Zarbon was clearly in a bit of pain. Raditz walked at his side, glad to see smile on Zarbon’s face. It looked… beautiful. 

Zarbon held his holopad, footsteps a bit loud as he walked. Raditz didn’t care for that, it wasn’t like Zarbon could help that. He was practically a giant, standing at the same height as Raditz, weighing nearly the same. 

“Our first job on this ball of ice is tomorrow, so it’d probably be wise if we made sure we’re ready,” Zarbon’s voice was firm, his face hardening a bit. He walked with importance, a gait that told others who was in charge, who knew what he was doing.

What had happened that night, it gave Zarbon back his spark, his confidence. And Raditz was proud. This was much more preferable than Zarbon being sad, vulnerable. Raditz would be lying if the strength wasn’t something he liked to see, and would be an absolute moron if he tried to deny it. 

“Yeah, and let’s just hope we don’t get teamed up with that blue haired runt,” Raditz’s fists clenched. He regretted not punching the little bastard earlier, but Zarbon mattered more. 

Zarbon nodded, laughing a little as he looked over at Raditz. His face softened as he looked at the Saiyan, smile spreading across his face. Raditz found himself blushing a little, and resisted the urge to just kiss Zarbon. They’d have to be more secretive, especially now.

“Right, otherwise he may just find himself buried under the snow,” Zarbon spoke softly, but Raditz couldn’t tell if he was joking or not. Probably not though, since it was very often that people wanted to kill the little bastard Gurepu. 

“For a guy with a power level of only 200, he’s really cocky huh?” Raditz sighed, letting his tail ravel around Zarbon’s wrist. He shivered a little, feeling Zarbon’s hand ever so gently stroke the furry appendage. 

“He’s just lucky that Frieza doesn’t want him dead is all, and that I have some patience,” Zarbon continued to move, looking down at his holopad. 

“Well I don’t really have patience, so…” Raditz was about to finish his statement, but Zarbon stopped suddenly. Raditz wouldn’t have noticed, of Zarbon hadn’t had his tail held. His tail tugged a little, and Raditz cursed himself as he winced a little. 

“Speak of the devil, look who’s coming over,” Zarbon let out an annoyed sigh, and Raditz looked forward to see that magenta skinned little bastard stepping over, smirk on his stupid face. 

“Oh great…” Raditz grumbled, crossing his arms across his chest, letting his tail unravel from Zarbon’s hand, and let it wrap tightly around his waist. No doubt the little moron hadn’t learned from the last time Raditz had nearly pummeled him. 

The man was snickering, stopping uncomfortably close to them both, his arms crossing over his chest as he looked up at the both of them. 

“Are the two of you aware that there are… cameras in your room?” His voice dripped with amusement, hitting the two with like a bullet. Both stiffened, but Zarbon did more so. Raditz wasn’t entirely unhappy, and if he were in different circumstances, he’d probably own up to it with pride.

Zarbon though… He was obviously mortified. Was this some kind of sick joke? The little bastard couldn’t be telling the truth! That smug face he wore was so punchable right then… And he could easily wring him by the damn throat. 

“You’re lying,” Raditz growled. Zarbon placed a hand on Raditz’s shoulder, and Raditz gritted his teeth. He looked towards Zarbon, who let out a long sigh. 

“Cameras in our rooms would be against protocol, I’d attended the meeting where the rule was made-” He’d started, speaking calmly. Gurepu scoffed, interrupting him mid sentence. 

“Those rules don’t apply for trouble rooms, you know that.” He said smugly, crossing his arms over his chest as his magenta face curled into an evil smirk. Raditz’s eyes widened, looking down at the impish little gremlin in front of him. Trouble rooms, was a sort of slang in the army. They were the special rooms used for when a soldier needed to be kept under close watch.

“Our assignment’s never told us that we would be in one!” Zarbon exclaimed, his eyes widening as well. Of course Frieza would never make them aware of that bit, he wanted any reason to punish them. 

“Oh?” Gurepu’s tone turned to simply a mockingly sweet sneer, one that sent a shiver up Zarbon’s spine. That little bastard was planning something. “Well, that’s unfortunate,” He took a step forward, and Zarbon gritted his teeth. 

“Fuck off,” Raditz growled at Gurepu, stepping in front of Zarbon as he glared at the impish man coming towards them. 

“Don’t you want to know how to keep the video from reaching Frieza, or everyone else?” Gurepu sneered, winking their direction. Raditz opened his mouth to tell him to fuck off again, but zarbon spoke instead.

“How?”


End file.
